


You, Me, and Jellybean Makes Three

by wordsarelifealways



Series: The Magical Universe of Isak and Even [3]
Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alpha Even, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Bottom Isak Valtersen, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Isak, Sequel, Smut, Top Even Bech Næsheim, Unplanned Pregnancy, mention of miscarriage, pregnant Isak, tags will be added as fic goes on, ultrasounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-03-26 23:03:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 86,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsarelifealways/pseuds/wordsarelifealways
Summary: The much awaited sequel to A Universe of Our Own! This picks up immediately after the epilogue of AUO3; the boys find out that Isak is pregnant.





	1. (EVEN) How did this happen?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Im_a_bird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_a_bird/gifts), [theyellowcurtains](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyellowcurtains/gifts).



> The sequel is here!!!!!!

Even felt like his whole life had just been turned upside down.

If Eriksen was right then Even was totally justified in feeling like that.  For almost as long as they had been together Even had tried to live with the fact that he and Isak wouldn’t be able to make a baby of their own, and it sure as hell hadn’t been easy.  There had been a few hypothetical discussions about it over the years – always hypothetical, because they knew it wasn’t the time to think about expanding their family – and almost all of them had ended in tears over the fact that they couldn’t conceive their own child.

And now Eriksen was telling them that Isak was _pregnant_?

“H-how…how is that even possible?” Isak’s voice from beside him, faint as it was, shocked Even out of his daze.

“Honestly, boys, I don’t know.  After all the damage those drugs did to your body, Isak, I really didn’t think you’d be able to conceive.” Eriksen sat back in his chair and Even felt irrationally annoyed.  How could Eriksen be so chill while he was upturning their lives?

“This has to be a mistake.” Isak shook his head.  “I- I’m on birth control, and you’ve always said- you _said_ I couldn’t have kids!” Isak’s voice was getting louder and Even could _feel_ how anxious Isak was getting.

“I really didn’t think your body would be able to heal enough after how long you spent on suppressants.  I’m sorry if you feel like I misled you in any way.” Eriksen did at least _look_ apologetic.

“Can you do the test again?” Even asked once he found his voice.

“We’ve already run it several times.  You’re definitely pregnant, Isak.” The apologetic look on Eriksen’s face was no longer comforting.

“I’m pregnant.” Isak repeated in a daze.  It was the most bittersweet moment of Even’s life, he was sure.  How many times had he dreamt of Isak saying those exact words to him?  And now that dream had become a reality, but it wasn’t anything like the cosy intimate scenario Even had always imagined.

“You said…you said back then I’d not be able to carry a baby to term.  Do you still think that?” Isak’s hand was shaking in his and it was breaking Even’s heart.

“At this point I’m reluctant to make any predictions.  Past experience suggests that this could be a very difficult pregnancy, but the fact that you’re pregnant at all is a miracle.”

 _Miracle_.  Even mouthed the word silently.  His brain felt about ten steps behind the conversation, but he definitely caught that word.  He and Isak had made a little miracle.

“However, because you caught this so early you _do_ still have options.” Eriksen continued.

“Options?” Isak sounded as dazed as Even felt.

“Yes, Isak.  Getting pregnant is not an obligation to have a child.” Eriksen said firmly.  “I’m going to give you some information and you boys can go home and have a think about it.”

Those words had Even feeling like someone had pushed his head underwater.  He watched their doctor’s mouth move but he couldn’t hear a single word.  Eriksen was talking about getting rid of their baby?  Getting rid of their _miracle_?

“Do you boys have any questions?”

“N-no.” Isak stuttered.  “You, Ev?” Isak looked over at him with wide eyes and Even couldn’t help but notice that it looked like someone had sapped the colour from Isak’s face.  He probably didn’t look much better himself.

“No.” He was pretty sure they were both in shock.  If either of them could have strung a semi-coherent sentence together he’d have died of surprise.

“I’ll let you boys get on then.  We’ll set up an appointment when you’ve figured out what you’d like to do; you know how to get hold of me.” That seemed like their cue to leave, but it took Even’s legs a few seconds to catch up with his brain so he ended up just sitting there: dumbstruck in his chair.  It was only when Isak tugged on his hand that his body jerked back into action and he got to his feet, painfully aware of how much his legs were shaking.

“Thanks, I guess.” Isak said faintly before pulling Even out of Eriksen’s office.  How was Isak not rendered completely useless by the news?  Even felt like someone had smashed him over the head with a sledgehammer and then told him to recite the periodic table in order of atomic numbers, and he wasn’t even the one who had been told that he was growing a life in his belly.

It was a complete U-turn from what he had been bracing himself to hear.  Instead of potentially losing a life, they had gained a life.

What a fucking morning.

***

Their commute home went by in dazed silence.  Honestly, Even hardly registered anything that was happening to or around him.  He held tight onto Isak’s hand and eventually they made it home and that was all he could say for sure.

He hadn’t even noticed Eriksen give Isak any documents, but when they got in Isak dumped several leaflets onto the coffee table in their living room.

It was only when Isak sunk down onto the sofa and collapsed in on himself that Even snapped out of his own shock.  The small breathless noises that hiccupped out of Isak as he cried always cut Even deep.

“Shit, angel, please don’t cry.” Even hated seeing Isak cry.  Always had, always will.  But seeing him cry because he was somehow carrying Even’s baby way before they had ever planned to have a family was much more painful than Even could have imagined.

“How did this happen?” Isak was shaking all over.

“I have no idea.” Even sighed as he sat down and rubbed between Isak’s shoulders.  He had learned a long time ago that it was easier to let Isak stay doubled over and catch his breath than try to cuddle him right away, no matter how much he wanted to just wrap his boy up.

“I don’t even kn-know how I feel.” Isak stuttered.  He flopped over and rested his head in Even’s lap, curling up tight next to him.  This Even could work with; at least like this he knew that Isak wasn’t shutting him out.  There had been a few times when Isak had made sure to keep himself separate and distant from Even and Even had had to work twice as hard to get the tiniest scrap in information out of him.

“Neither do I.” Even admitted as he sunk his fingers into Isak’s hair.

“We wanted a baby.” Isak buried his face in Even’s knees, but all Even could see was the way Isak had his arm wrapped around his midriff.

“We did.” Even agreed.  He skimmed his fingers down Isak’s cheek and winced at how cold he was.  That was a sign of shock, wasn’t it?

“But we’re so young.  And you’ve only just got your apprenticeship and I’m still at uni.” Even could feel the tears soaking into his jeans.

“Baby, I’m not going to make you have this baby if you don’t feel ready.” Even ran his fingers slowly through Isak’s curls, trying to gather his own thoughts and feelings on this situation they had landed themselves in.

“I just have this feeling like if we- if we _get rid_ of this baby we’ll never have another chance at having a family like this.” Isak whispered.  “I can’t take that away from you.”

“Isak, I want you to listen to me.  _Really_ listen.” Even couldn’t think of the last time he had been quite so serious with his mate.  Isak lay still on his lap and Even took that to mean that he was listening.

“Eriksen’s right.  Getting pregnant isn’t any sort of obligation.  _Especially_ not obligation to your partner.  Yes, we’ve wanted to have our own baby, but I would never put you at risk for the sake of _having_ that baby.  You have to think about yourself first.  Your body’s gone through a lot…I think we’d need to talk to the doc about if you could even carry this baby.” Even stroked Isak’s hair slowly as he tried to turn his tangle of thoughts into something that at least halfway made sense.

“I think I want it, Ev.” Isak’s voice was hardly a whisper, just a breath of a confession, but Even heard it.

“Then we’ll talk to Eriksen and we’ll make sure we do everything right.” Even promised.

“Do…do _you_ want it?” Isak sounded so afraid and it cut right through Even’s heart.

“Of course I do, Is.  This is our baby.  We made that little life.” Even’s hand slid down from Isak’s still too cold cheek until it covered Isak’s hand on his abdomen.  “We love each other so fucking much that we managed to make another life.  I know this isn’t the most ideal time, but we can find a way to make it work.” Even stroked the back of Isak’s hand gently and – _finally_ – Isak lifted his head up to look at him.

His face was blotchy and streaked with tears, but he was giving him a watery smile.

“I can’t believe you fucking got me pregnant while I was on birth control.” He sniffled, and that was it.  They both broke out in stunned laughter, doubling over until they both had tears running down their faces.

If you had asked either of them how long they sat there – caught somewhere between hysterical laughter and crying – neither of them would be able to give you an answer, but they both knew for sure that they felt a lot better by the end.

***

They found themselves back in Eriksen’s office a few days later.

“So, boys, did you have a think about your situation?” Eriksen asked as they sat down.  Even had to really resist the urge to haul Isak onto his lap.  Every part of his brain was screaming at him that he should have Isak as close as possible, but he knew that Isak liked his independence and getting pregnant wasn’t going to change that.

“We did.” Isak nodded.  He reached over and took Even’s hand, and the fact that Isak initiated the contact made Even feel 100 times better about the whole situation.

“And what have you decided?” Even could never get a good read on their doctor.  He always seemed so neutral, but Even always got the feeling that there was a _right_ answer to the questions Eriksen asked them.

“We’ve talked about it a lot the last couple of days.” Isak started.  “Even told me that I shouldn’t have this baby just because I think _he_ wants me to.”

“Very true.” Eriksen nodded at Even.

“And we talked about how I might not even be able to carry a baby with all my health issues.  That I might even make the baby sick just because _I’m_ a mess.” Isak’s grip tightened on Even’s hand and Even squeezed back.

“It’s alright.” Even murmured, shuffling his chair closer to Isak’s.  He might not be able to haul Isak onto his lap but he had every intention of staying as close to his mate as physically possible.

“Definitely things to consider.” Eriksen nodded again.

“We’ve not taken this lightly.” Even ran this thumb back and forth across the soft skin of the back of Isak’s hand.  “You know we want to have a family one day.” Eriksen had worked with them pretty much since the beginning; there wasn’t much he _didn’t_ know about their relationship.

“I also know how much Isak wants to get his biochemistry degree.” Eriksen countered.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve talked about it from every possible angle.” Isak scooted his chair closer to Even’s until their arms were touching and they could bump their knees together.

“And what did you decide?” Eriksen repeated his initial question.

Even looked over at Isak – his beautiful, strong, clever, _pregnant_ boyfriend – and sure enough Isak was staring back at him with the softest look Even had ever seen in those big green eyes.

“We want to keep this baby.” Even couldn’t take his eyes off of Isak as he said those words.

They were having a baby.


	2. This is just the beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pregnancy week 4: Isak has a minor incident at work that has the doubts creeping in (2.3k)

It had been almost a week since their appointment with Eriksen, and the shock was finally wearing off.  It was starting to sink into his brain that he was  _pregnant_.  That the weird feeling in his belly was because there was a tiny life in there, and not because he was dying.

He was four weeks pregnant.  He had been three weeks when they met with Eriksen, but somehow another week had rushed past him and now he was a  _month_  pregnant. He was growing a baby-  _their_  baby.

He still had no idea how they had landed themselves in this situation, but he was surprised by how  _not stressed_  he was.  It was clear what would happen: he would see out the rest of this year at uni (it was nearly the end of March, and term would be finished by the end of June when Isak would be hitting the four month mark) and then defer his place for a year.

That was his rough plan, anyway. He could fine tune it with his course leader when he went to explain his situation to her.

He wanted to go back eventually, once the baby was a bit older, but he wanted to know if there was a part time option.  He had a feeling that he wouldn’t want to be away from his baby for too long.

It felt like such a cliché: being that omega that gave up their degree to have a baby and be a stay at home daddy, but Isak wanted it.  He desperately hoped that his pregnancy would go smoothly.  If he even  _tried_  to think about the worse case scenario he found himself welling up and he would have to go wrap himself around Even until his heart no longer felt broken.  So he was trying to stick with the best possible case scenarios, because he didn’t think his heart could cope with anything else.

***

“Should we tell people?” Even asked that evening when they had both collapsed in a heap in bed.

“People usually share the news after they pass the 12 week mark.” Isak turned his head back so he could look at Even, mostly because he was enjoying his time being the little spoon and he didn’t want to roll over completely and end it.  He was also  _deeply_  enjoying the way that both of Even’s hands were resting lightly over his belly, even though he was in _no_ way showing yet.

“And we’re only at four.” Even sounded disappointed, but Isak  _loved_  how he said ‘we’ rather than ‘you’.

“I think we should tell your parents though.” Isak admitted, running his fingers up and down Even’s arm nervously.  “In case something  _does_  go wrong.” Even’s arms tightened around him at that.

“Just my parents? Or…?” Even left his question hanging but Isak knew exactly what he meant.

“I don’t want to get my mum’s hopes up and get her all excited in case- you know.” Isak’s breath caught and he felt the stinging in his eyes and he hated it.

“It’s okay, angel.” Even kissed the top of his head and it helped a little bit. Just a little.  “We can tell my parents. And then as soon as we pass twelve weeks, we can tell your mum.  Does that sound alright?”

“That sounds really good.” Isak nodded.

“I’m more than a pretty face.” Isak could hear Even’s grin and it was infectious as hell.

“Don’t know if I’d call it a  _pretty_  face.” Isak pretended to think, and when Even let out an overly dramatic outraged gasp he couldn’t help laughing.

“What would you call it then?  Magnificent?  Radiant?  _Breath taking_?” Even’s voice was getting louder and louder with each synonym which just made it funnier to him.

“Even, I’m telling you: you’re the only person who has ever  _sincerely_  used the word breath taking to describe someone.” Years later and they were still having the same debates.

“I stand by it. You  _are_  breath taking.” Even’s voice dropped lower and his lips were pressed to the sensitive shell of Isak’s ear and it sent a shiver through him.

“And you’re still an idiot.” Isak laughed.  He loved that they still had this playful banter to their relationship after all these years.

“A pretty idiot though?” Isak could feel the cheeky grin on his mate’s face and he rolled his eyes in response.

“Don’t push your luck.”

***

Isak was lying curled up on the sofa, hugging one of their pillows to his chest, when Even got home a few nights later.

“Is, I’m home!” Even called out softly, and seconds later Isak heard their front door click shut.

“In the lounge.” Isak called back before he pressed his face into the pillow.  He knew that as soon as Even saw him he’d want to talk about his day and Isak wasn’t sure if he was ready for that just yet.  As he heard the familiar pads of Even’s footsteps he wasn’t sure it he wanted to hide his face further or peep over at his boyfriend.

Seeing his mate for the first time in over twelve hours won out in the end, and Isak rest his chin dejectedly on top of the cushion.  Sure enough: the moment Even walked into the lounge Isak could _see_ the words he had been going to say just die on his lips.

“Babe, why do you look so sad?” Even rushed over to him and dropped onto his knees in front of the sofa.  He covered Isak’s hands quickly with his own and it helped a little with the embarrassment still burning in his skin.

“There was an incident at uni today.” Isak muttered.  He was still absolutely mortified about it; he didn’t really want to relive it.

“Are you okay?” Immediately one of Even’s hands moved to his abdomen.  “Has something happened?”

“I’m fine.  It wasn’t anything physical; just some public humiliation.” Isak shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“What?” Even frowned.  “What happened?  Why didn’t you call me?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Isak shook his head.  “It was just really embarrassing and now I just feel kinda shit.” Isak wiggled further back onto the sofa with his cushion until his back was resting comfortably against the back cushions, and Even immediately moved with him.  He got off his knees and perched on the edge of the sofa in the space in front of Isak’s belly.

“What happened?” Even asked again and Isak could feel the blood rushing back to his face.

“So…you know how I’m going to the toilet all the time now?” Isak couldn’t look Even in the eye while he talked about this, he just _couldn’t_.

“Yeah, we were worried about your kidneys.  Kinda hard to forget.”

“Well today I had a few hours in the lab.  You know, on that omega-focused project that professor let me in on because he thought I’d like it?” Isak didn’t like to go into too much detail about his work at uni because he knew most of it would go over Even’s head, but he always gave the bare bones of the story and told Even the important bits.

It was a system that worked well for them, because he knew for a fact that Even did the same when he was sharing about _his_ day.

“Yeah, you’ve been really into it.” Even nodded, his brows pulling together as he tried to figure out where Isak was going with this.

“That’s the one.  Well, there’s a few of us students on the research team, and they’re all nice enough but we’re all tired I guess because this research opportunity is on top of all our actual graded work.” Isak tugged at a loose string on the seam of the cushion.  He knew he was stalling by giving Even too many details – hell, he knew it wasn’t even _that bad_ of an incident – but he was just so fucking embarrassed.

“Did someone say something?” Even hedged, an uncertain frown making his usually light features seem dark and heavy.

“Yeah.” Isak sighed.  “I had to keep going to the toilet because apparently my bladder is now the size of a god damn _pea_ , and I guess one of the guys noticed how many times I’d taken a toilet break.”

“Did he make a shitty joke?” Even guessed.

“I stood up again and he told me I should probably get tested for a urine infection and that after some antibiotics I could go back to ‘actually working’.” Isak’s face heated up all over again and he buried in back in the safety of the cushion.

He knew it wasn’t a massive deal, but he had been so mortified at the time that he hadn’t been able to think of a single response other than to walk out to go to the bathroom.  He had taken a minute to compose himself before going back into the lab, but he already felt like there had been some sort of shift in the team dynamics and now he was seen as the weak link.

He was hardly pregnant at all and it was already interfering with his life.

No, interfering was the wrong word.  He knew that pregnancy was going to change his life.  He just hadn’t expected it to happen quite so soon.  There were no obvious outward signs, and yet he was _already_ running into problems because he had ended up pregnant.

“I can almost hear the gears grinding in your brain.” Even murmured, leaning down and kissing the top of Isak’s head.

“It was humiliating.  And I’m barely a month into this, Ev, what am I going to do when I’m five months and showing and everyone’s talking about it?” Isak’s anxieties were muffled by the pillow he was still pressing his face into, and he was holding out hope that if he kept his face there for long enough that all of his problems would disappear.

A guy could dream.

“Isak, one asshole is not going to determine how the entire pregnancy will go.” Even’s voice was soothing but the promise did nothing to alleviate Isak’s anxiety.

“This is just the beginning.” Isak was pretty sure there were tears prickling behind his eyelids.

“It is the beginning.” Even agreed, and surprise hit Isak hard enough that he lifted his head from the pillow.  “The beginning of our adventure as parents.  Nothing else matters.” Even shrugged.

“That’s easy for you to say; you’re not the one who’s going to be a laughing stock, or ridiculed, or _shamed_ by supposed _rights_ activists.  You’ll just get the glory of being an alpha who got his mate pregnant despite the odds being stacked against us.” Isak could feel that old familiar bitterness well up inside of him.

“Isak…” Even sighed quietly, and that was how Isak knew he had changed his man’s mind.  That, and the defeated look on Even’s face.

“I know things haven’t come as far as we want them to, but are we going to give up this early?  Are we going to let what’s happening _out there_ have that much influence on what’s happening _in here_?” Even gestured around their flat.

“Do we really want to bring a kid into the world in this state?” Isak could feel the doubts creeping in and he hated it.  He hated how one little comment had sent him completely into a tailspin.

“People were having babies when there was bubonic plague everywhere, when the whole world was being torn apart by war, before women could vote, when black people were segregated from white people.  If we don’t make the next generation then who’s going to be around to change the world?” Even raised his eyebrows like even _he_ was surprised by his speech.

“Holy shit, Ev.” Isak’s eyes were definitely wet now and his bottom lip was quite possibly quivering.  “That was amazing.  How long have you had that up your sleeve?”

“It just came to me.” Even was staring back at him wide eyed.

“You really think the world will be better for our kid than it has been for us?” Isak swallowed, finally sitting up from where he was – rather ironically – curled up in the foetal position.

“I mean, it’s better than it was when _we_ were kids.” Even slung an arm around Isak’s waist.  “Progress is slow, but it is happening.”

“I guess.” Isak agreed.  “God, I didn’t think  this was the conversation we were going to have after some prick commented on how often I have to pee.” He felt like all the fight had been taken out of him.  He laid his head on Even’s shoulder tiredly and in response Even gave his waist a comforting rub.

“I’m sorry that guy got under your skin.” Even pressed a kiss to the side of Isak’s head and finally Isak felt some of the sadness drain out of him.

“Yeah, me too.” Isak sighed.  “I guess I should get used to it though.  Stuff like that is probably going to happen more often now.”

“I meant what I said before.  We can’t let what happens out there fuck up this amazing thing happening in here.” Even’s hand slid all the way around his waist until it rested on his belly.

“You’re growing our baby in there, Isak.  All the changes that are happening – and are _going_ to happen – are fucking incredible.  Your body is changing because it’s making a whole tiny _life_.  Someone who’s going to be here long after we’re gone, and long after that dickhead on your research team is gone.” Isak had to smile at that.

“Besides, we’re going to raise that baby with _so_ much love.  The world’s always going to be changing, but our baby having a loving and thriving family life is going to be as constant as the universe is random.” Even sounded so sure of it, and a little bit more of Isak’s stress and fear melted away.

“A stable childhood?” Isak rolled the thought around in his head, smiling to himself.

“What a concept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much in mind for the structure of these chapters, so they will most likely be like this (i.e. a couple of small different scenes that span over a week or two or whatever is stated in the chapter) unless I have a specific scene or plot point for the chapter to be based around. sound good to you guys????
> 
> I wrote this in dribs and drabs over the week (a fair amount of it on my phone while at work or waiting for buses haha) so if the long third scene doesn't flow well then that's probably why RIP
> 
> anyway, THOUGHTS???
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	3. I am the MASTER of bladder control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak and Even go for their 6 week scan

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (11.38)

_babe when are we actually going to TELL my parents?_

_we never set a date_

Isak (11.54)

_well I was thinking we could do it after my 6 week scan_

_then we can show them the scan?_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.01)

_they’ll lose their shit haha_

_but that sounds smart, let’s do it that way_

Isak (12.02)

_you remember the appointment?_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.04)

_like I could forget!!_

_2 nd April, 10.45 at Eriksen’s_

Isak (12.05)

_colour me impressed_

_how about we set up dinner with your parents for that night?_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.13)

_2 nd is a Thursday, don’t think either of them have plans on a Thursday evening_

Isak (12.15)

_does Ellie have any after school stuff?_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.19)

_shit no idea_

_I’ll check when I set up with mum and dad_

Isak (12.21)

_would be nice if she was there when we told them_

_we could give them her birthday present that night too just to be safe_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.31)

_her birthday isn’t until 8 th!_

Isak (12.35)

_yeah but that’s a Wednesday_

_that’s not good for either of us, AND your mum has that pottery class_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.42)

_she won’t be going to pottery on Ellie’s birthday, you know birthdays are family days!_

_but you’re right about it not working for us_

_we’ll take Ellie’s present with us on the Thursday and ask mum and dad to hide it until her birthday_

Isak (12.45)

_we can FaceTime or Skype or something the morning of her birthday so we can sort of be there when she opens her present_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.48)

_she’ll love that_

Isak (12.50)

_gotta admit it’s easier doing that stuff now she’s a bit older_

_she can help your parents figure out how to do it rather than us having to talk them through it on the landline_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (12.57)

_I know haha_

_can’t believe she’s going to be 6_

_I feel so old_

Isak (13.01)

_you are old_

The Most Beautiful Boy Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (13.03)

_wow love you too_

Isak (13.03)

_< 3_

***

Like always: time rushed past Isak in a blur of university, work, and sleep.

The day of their 6 week scan was upon them in what felt like just a few days since they first found out the news.  Eriksen’s insistence at closely monitoring their pregnancy was both reassuring and anxiety-inducing, which had both of the boys’ emotions all over the place.

“How do you feel?” Even asked on the tram ride to the hospital.

“Like I really need to go to the toilet or I’m going to die.” Isak was keeping all of his muscles as tightly clenched as possible to try to distract himself from how badly he needed to pee.

“You said it would help with the scan, remember?” Even rubbed his back, which did nothing but jostle Isak.  He was convinced he could feel everything sloshing around in his bladder and it was driving him up the wall.

“It will.” Isak said through gritted teeth, moving himself away from Even’s touch.  “But that doesn’t make it any more comfortable.  Especially not on this _bumpy_ commute.” Isak was losing faith in his ability not to run straight to the toilet when they arrived.

“Run me through the logic again.” Even’s brows furrowed and Isak huffed.

“I’m not far enough along to have a lot of amniotic fluid.” He muttered, not wanting other passengers to overhear.  “And sound waves travel better through liquid, so if I _don’t_ go take a leak then the ultrasound image should come out a bit clearer.”

“Are we going to be able to see much?” Even was so excited about everything about their pregnancy, Isak sometimes forgot that Even wasn’t as medically inclined as he was himself.

“There’s not really much to see yet, babe.” Isak patted Even’s hand.

“Oh.” He could practically taste Even’s disappointment in the air between them.

“And we won’t hear their heartbeat until, like, 11 or 12 weeks.” Isak added in case that was Even’s next question.

“I can’t wait for that.” Even admitted.

“Me neither.” Isak smiled over at his mate.  “Today will be more about making sure the lil thing in there is where they should be and that they’re the right size.”

“Important stuff.” Even nodded, seemingly placated by that information.  Their stop finally rolled around, and Isak practically ran off the tram to stop the constant jiggling.

“Are you going to last without going to the toilet?” Isak could tell that Even was trying not to laugh as he followed Isak to the hospital, but Even’s possible doubts just doubled Isak’s determination.

“No, I can totally do this.  I am the _master_ of bladder control.” If he hadn’t been concentrating all his efforts on keeping himself from wetting himself he would have done his usual chest puffing move.

“Keep telling yourself that, angel.” Even grinned, swinging their hands together as they walked in.  They had spent a lot of time in this hospital over the years; some visits better than others, but without fail Even had held onto his hand almost painfully tight as they walked through the doors.

They both found it difficult going back to the place where Isak had almost died, no matter how much time had gone by.

Isak couldn’t stop shifting on his feet on the lift to the right floor, and he felt like everyone who looked at him somehow _knew_ what he was doing there.  He was half convinced there was a huge sign over his head that said PREGNANT MALE OMEGA that alerted every single person around him of his condition.

He was, of course, being wildly paranoid.  He knew his scent was going to start to change soon and that other ABO exquis would be able to smell that he was pregnant, but there would be no obvious physical signs for a while longer.  Logically he _knew_ that he had no reason to be so tense about the whole things, but telling his emotions that was another thing entirely.

He was so caught up inside his own head that Even had to give the lady at the desk his name for him, and because of a slight delay in the tram they’d arrived a couple of minutes late and were sent straight through.

“You ready?” Even looked as daunted as Isak felt as they stopped outside the right door.

“Maybe?” Isak’s voice was weak and uncertain but Even didn’t call him out on it.

“Me neither.” Even tried to laugh before he knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Eriksen called from inside.

“Here we go.”  Even took a deep breath and squeezed Isak’s hand, and then they were walking in.

After some preliminary questions and small talk, Isak was laying back on the big chair in the middle of the room.

“Now, because you’re only 6 weeks you know this scan will be done vaginally?” Eriksen asked as Isak made himself comfortable.

“I do.” That didn’t mean he liked it though.  While he may have gotten used to his body’s changes that didn’t mean that he’d done much exploring.  He’d _definitely_ not had anything up there before and he wasn’t sure how he felt about changing that.

“You’re nervous.” Eriksen observed.  “I understand it can feel quite invasive, and it may be a little bit uncomfortable, but it won’t be painful.”

“I know.” Isak muttered.  He was blushing furiously and he hated it.  He was a biochemistry student; he shouldn’t be so embarrassed by this, but he _was_.  He’d always been a pretty private person; that clearly didn’t translate well to having someone other than Even inserting things inside of his body.

“Would you like a minute?” Eriksen offered, and Isak was nodding before he consciously thought about it.  With a small smile Eriksen got up and left the room, leaving Isak alone with Even.

Even, of course, was right there with him immediately.

“Hey, baby,” Even sat on the edge of the seat and cupped one half of Isak’s face as he rested their foreheads together.

“I’m scared.” Isak’s hands were shaking worse than usual and he slid them under the back of Even’s shirt to hide it.

“I know, I know.” Even bumped their noses together gently.  “You’re so fucking brave, doing this.”

“What if he tells us that something is wrong already?” Isak’s heartbeat felt so loud in his chest that he was sure Even could hear it.

“Then we’ll know and we can work on making it better.” Even replied instantly.  Apparently his mate had been thinking about it too.

“I’m scared.” Isak really couldn’t think of how else to say it.  He didn’t even realise a few tears had slipped out until Even was wiping them away.

“I’m right here, angel.” Even kissed away the tear tracks on his cheeks and Isak tried to calm himself down.  “I can’t really imagine how weird it’s going to feel for you, but just think: we’ll get to see our baby – sort of – on the monitor!” Even smiled against his skin and Isak sniffled in response.

“And you told me that this was the only scan you’d have to do like this.” Even reminded him as he nosed tenderly at his bite on Isak’s throat.  A little bit of the fear trickled away, so Isak removed one hand from under Even’s shirt and twisted his fingers in Even’s hair to keep him where he was.

“This helping you, baby?” Even’s lips fluttered against Isak’s bite and calm started filtering in where the fear had been.  “This pretty bite on your throat reminding you how much I fucking adore you?” Even kissed his bite again and Isak buried his face in Even’s hair, glad that Even hadn’t put much effort into styling it that morning.

Maybe Even had expected them to end up in this position.

“It is.” Isak nodded meekly, clinging onto Even wherever he could.  They stayed tangled up together for a few more minutes, Even alternating between kissing and nuzzling Isak’s bite and Isak just holding on so tight that you’d think he’d been told that someone was going to burst in and try to forcibly remove Even from his side, until Isak no longer felt like his heartbeat was audible from space.

“I think I’m ready now.” Isak mumbled into Even’s hair.

“You’re doing so well, angel.  I’m so proud of you.” Even nosed softly at his bite one last time before lifting his head.  “Want me to let Eriksen back in?” He offered and Isak nodded quietly.  He fiddled nervously with the hem of his shirt as Even opened the door and came back to his side.

“Aren’t you going to-”

“He won’t have gone far.” Even interrupted, and sure enough Eriksen walked in a few seconds later.  Even liked to tease that the doctor was a bit obsessed with Isak, so Isak was sure that Even would tease him about that later.

“I hope you’re feeling a bit better now?” Eriksen plopped back down into his chair and rolled it over next to Isak.

“I am.” Isak nodded.  He was determined to make it through this scan without either wetting himself or crying from embarrassment at the procedure.

“Would you like me to talk you through everything?” Eriksen offered.

“No, I know what you’re going to do.” Isak declined.  “I’m just nervous about the ultrasound wand going in.” He admitted.

“A lot of expectant parents are.” Eriksen nodded.  That helped a little: knowing that parents who had had vaginas for considerably longer than he had had also struggled with the thought of this procedure.

“Okay.  Let’s do it.” With his tight hold on Even’s hand Isak felt like he could do anything.

He lay back when Eriksen instructed him and focused entirely on Even’s face as he adjusted his legs.  He was aware of Eriksen positioning himself between his legs and he clamped his hand down around Even’s.

“I can’t wait to see them.” Even whispered.  He seemed to get that Isak was focusing on his face to avoid freaking himself out about everything else, because he kept his eyes fixed on Isak’s face.

Or maybe Even didn’t like the doctor being between Isak’s legs any more than Isak did.  Either way, it was working for both of them.

“I love you.” Isak couldn’t help but whisper back.  How had he got so lucky to find a man who he fit with so seamlessly?  Who knew how to support him through thick and thin?

“I love you too, angel.” Even smiled, bringing his hand back up to Isak’s face and stroking his cheek tenderly.

“You ready, boys?” Eriksen popped the intimate little bubble they had closed themselves off in and Isak was shocked to realise that apart from a weird pressure between his legs he hadn’t even noticed the wand being inserted.

“Yes.” They both answered.  With one final squeeze of their hands they turned their heads to face the monitor.

Slowly but surely the image appeared before them.  It was grainy and kind of blurry, pretty much what Isak had been expecting, but he could very clearly make out the blob that was their child.

It was like the whole universe ground to a halt around him.  That was the little life he was growing.  The unplanned result of Even not being careful enough when he was pulling out to come all over Isak.  His brain just couldn’t compute how one little accident had blessed him with that tiny little thing on the screen.

“It’s like those inkblot tests.” Even said from beside him, effectively popping Isak’s bubble.

“I can’t believe you’re comparing our 6 week old foetus to the Rorschach inkblot tests.” Isak glared at him.

“He isn’t the first.” Eriksen was definitely trying not to laugh.

“Look: our baby is right there!” Isak pointed to the tiny grey alien-like shape in the middle of the image.

“It’s like a little jellybean!” Even looked so fucking happy that Isak couldn’t even be mad.  Especially not when Even looked away from the monitor with a huge smile on his face and a look of absolute wonder in his eyes and added:

“Our little jellybean.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??????
> 
> if anyone is interested [this](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/66/89/8b/66898b68794ed1fb4d2195ea1eff61e3.jpg) is the reference image I used for their scan!
> 
> I was going to do the dinner with Tove and Johan at the end of this and have it as one big chapter but honestly I think they'd read a bit easier as two seperate smaller chapters, so I'll probably start writing the next bit tomorrow!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	4. (EVEN) There's still time to just announce it on instagram

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A direct continuation of the day they got their six week scan (4.1k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing in little dribs and drabs on my phone during the week and it really seems to be helping, so hopefully this fic should update pretty regularly!!

Even felt like he was floating on a cloud for the rest of the day.  In the good way and not the _rapidly approaching episode_ way.  When he left the hospital with Isak he felt like there was nothing on the planet that could possibly get him down.  They had taken two copies of their scan with them – one for them and one to give to his parents – and it was taking all of Even’s effort not to take it out every three seconds and look at it.

Their tiny little jellybean, right there in black and white.

He couldn’t wait to tell his parents; he knew they were going to lose it.

First though: he needed to look after Isak.  He was glad he had requested the whole day off work for the scan so he could spend the time between hospital and his parents with his beautiful pregnant mate, especially after seeing Isak’s distress before the ultrasound.  For the entire commute home Isak stayed pressed close to his side and was unusually quiet, but Even wasn’t going to push him out there in the open.

He waited until they get home – both of them shedding their jeans and jackets as soon as they got through the door so that they could crawl into bed for a while – to make his move.

“How you doing in there, baby?” Even pulled the duvet up over them both before smoothing a hand through a few of Isak’s wayward curls.

“Are you talking to me or to Jellybean?” Isak smiled weakly.

“You.  You’ll always be my baby.” Even grinned.  “So what’s going through that head of yours?” Isak slid one of his legs between Even’s and Even pulled him in closer, not even a little bit surprised when Isak buried his face straight into the bite on Even’s neck.

“I can’t believe we have a photo of our baby.” Isak mumbled into his throat.

“I know; it’s crazy, right?” Even glanced over at where he had tossed his wallet, knowing that the scan pictures were safely tucked away in there.

“It feels so real now.” Isak was rubbing his face into Even’s bite like a baby desperate for comfort and it tugged hard at Even’s heart.  Isak probably hadn’t even had that connection with his mother growing up; Even had seen the state of Marianne’s scarred old mating bite and he knew that it would have done nothing to soothe a fussy baby.

“Must be scary to think about having something growing inside of you.” Even couldn’t begin to imagine how Isak must be feeling.

“I have this whole extra layer of responsibility now.” Isak sighed.  “It’s not just about keeping my body from falling apart any more; now it’s about making sure that tiny thing in there grows up safe and healthy enough for the next seven and a half months to be born.”

“We’ve kept you alive for this long; we can definitely do this.” Even trailed his nails over Isak’s scalp lightly.

“I think I just need a little bit of processing time.  I feel like I’ve just found out I’m pregnant all over again.” Isak admitted.

“Whatever you need, angel.” Even promised.  “We’ve got ages before we need to turn around and go to my parents’; just take all the time you need.”

“Thanks.” Isak mumbled, rubbing his face closer into Even’s bite.

It drove Even mad that even after all these years Isak _still_ hadn’t figured out that he didn’t need to thank him.

***

“Are you ready for this?” Even asked a few hours later as they walked the last few feet towards his parents’ house.

“I think so.  It’ll probably be good to have someone else know.” Isak seemed so much calmer and collected now and it was helping Even’s own nerves.

“There’s still time to just announce it on instagram.” Even was only half joking as they made it to the doorway of his childhood home, but from the way Isak blanched he guessed it was a no go.

“Oh my god, no.  Remember how mad your mum was when she found out that way that we’d _bitten_ each other?” As if he needed reminding; the phone call that had followed had haunted Even for weeks after.  “There’s no way we can tell her she’s going to be a grandmother the same way.” Isak shook his head.

“True.  Guess we’ll stick to plan A then.” Even tried to laugh but it dried up in his throat at the memory of his mother’s fury.

“I think so.” Isak nodded, just before he rung the doorbell.  It didn’t take long for Tove to answer, which didn’t surprise Even in the slightest.  He had come to accept that his mother loved his mate more than she loved him.

He couldn’t even blame her.

“Isak!” Tove genuinely _cheered_ as she threw the door open.  “It’s so good to see you!  It’s been too long.” Even watched bemusedly as his mother tackled Isak in a hug.

“Hi, Tove.” Isak’s smile could have lit up countries.

“I can’t have my favourite son-in-law out in the cold!” Tove tutted before she essentially _yanked_ Isak inside.  Even loved his mama – he _really_ did – but her constant referring to Isak as her son-in-law made his eye twitch.

While claiming bites were naturally accepted in the exquis community, sapiens still saw them as barbaric and oppressive and generally refused to accept them as a legitimate relationship status.  Even had always loved the idea of a grand wedding tying him to his beloved, but why was that somehow _more_ real than claiming each other?

Why was a piece of jewellery more a show of commitment than Isak’s bite on his collar?  A ring could be taken off, but a claiming bite was always going to be there.  Sure you could try putting make up over it, but that would do nothing to alleviate your mate’s scent radiating from their bite.

One day he was going to marry Isak – he knew that like he knew he’d take his next breath – but as far as he was concerned their souls had been bound together since they were teenagers.  A ring and some paper weren’t going to make much of a difference to them; it was just going to make them more palatable to the sapiens.

“Tove!” Isak still blushed when she called him her son-in-law, which was really the only reason Even didn’t call her out on it.  He loved Isak’s blush.

“What about your favourite son?” Even pretended to be hurt as he followed them in, toeing his shoes off quickly.  He didn’t really want to be out of touching distance with Isak; he never had, but the feeling had intensified since they had found out they were pregnant.

“I guess he can come in too.” His mama winked at him, closing the door behind him with a soft _click_.

“Johan, the boys are here!” Tove called into the house.  “Is dinner almost ready?”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a hope in hell that his dad had heard his mother’s question, because after her initial statement hurricane Elise was unleashed.

“ _Isak_!” She squealed, thundering down the stairs like a heard of elephants rather than an almost-six-year-old.  How she made so much noise had always been beyond Even’s comprehension.

Would his child be like that one day??

“Ellie!” Isak dropped onto his knees without hesitation to catch Elise in a big bear hug, and just like always it melted Even’s heart.  He loved how close Isak and his sister had got; they had grown into quite the little team as Elise got a bit older.

“Are you staying all night?!” Even was unsurprised by his sister’s choice of first question.  Sleepovers with Isak were magical: they involved turning the living room into a big cosy den (which required _everyone’s_ pillows and duvets and blankets) and a little bit of cooking but mostly watching Disney movies all huddled together.

“Just for dinner tonight, Els, it’s a school night.” Isak let gave her one last squeeze and a kiss to the forehead before he let her go and struggled back to his feet.  For someone who frequented a gym Isak still got up and down like an old man, which amused Even to no end.

“We haven’t had a sleepover in ages.” Elise pouted.

“Well, how about we talk to your mama and papa about it at dinner?  See if we can sort one out for soon?” Isak offered.  Unsurprisingly Elise perked right back up at the prospect.

“Okay!” She nodded.

That was when she seemed to notice that Even was there too, giving him a big toothy grin.

“Even!” She darted over to him with her arms up and Even caught her easily, swinging her lazily upside down.  Her giggles were honestly music to his ears – had been since she had first laughed as a baby – and he gave her a few more gentle swings before pretending to drop her.

“Whoops!  Almost dropped Elise on her head!” He pretended to gasp.

“Ev!” She laughed breathlessly, her little face turning red. “That’s where my brain is; be careful!”

“Since when do you have a brain?” Even teased.

“Since forever!  Everyone has a brain!” Elise protested and Even turned her upright again before letting her drop down onto her feet.

“When did you get so smart, huh?” He felt a twinge of sadness at how quickly she was growing up, and for a second he wondered how the hell he was going to cope when it was his _own_ child growing up.

“At school.” Elise shrugged; clearly thinking Even had asked her an obvious question.

Their conversation was stopped short, though, by his mum calling from the kitchen that the food was being served up.  Elise immediately ran off to get her seat at the table, which gave Even a moment to linger with Isak in the hallway.

“You okay?” He checked as he slung an arm around his boyfriend’s waist.  He knew he was probably imagining it but Isak’s waist already felt a little bit thicker under his hands.

“Nervous, but okay.” Isak took a deep breath before making eye contact with Even, and Even gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile in return.

“Me too.” Even appreciated the way Isak smiled at that, but the feeling was quickly diminished when Isak’s face suddenly fell.

“What just happened?” Even noticed that he was holding onto Isak tighter and he forced himself to relax a little.

“I just thought of something.” Isak grabbed onto Even’s forearm where it was loosely wrapped around his waist, and Even knew immediately that Isak had unsettled himself with whatever thought he’d had.

“Go on.” Even encouraged as he brought his free hand up to cover Isak’s.

“We can’t tell Elise yet.” Isak was shaking his head so vigorously back and forth that Even almost got dizzy watching him.  “It’s too early.  What if I lose it and she’s still expecting a baby?  We’d have to explain- I’d have to tell her that- that-” Isak was losing control of his breathing faster the more he tried to explain it to Even.

Even knew exactly what Isak was trying to say.  He didn’t like it – not even a little – but he had to agree with Isak.  As much as they both knew Elise would love a baby, the thought of having to explain a miscarriage to a six year old was just too much for either of them to be able to deal with.  If Isak _did_ miscarry, though, neither of them would be in much of a state to be explaining it to anyone.

And it definitely wasn’t fair to lump that job on his parents, who would surely be grieving too.

They couldn’t tell Ellie yet.  Not when their pregnancy was still so fragile.  Theoretically Even knew that there was risk for the _duration_ of a pregnancy that something could go wrong, but if they just waited until they passed the ten week mark then the risk of losing the baby dropped dramatically.

Even had done a lot of research.

“You’re totally right.” Even agreed, although he was pretty sure he was pouting while he said it.  He rest the palm of one hand gently over Isak’s chest and he and Isak did their breathing exercise together until Isak’s heart was no longer racing under Even’s palm.

“I know neither of us want to think about the worst case scenario, but that was really good thinking of you, angel.” Even kissed Isak’s forehead once he had relaxed and Isak gave him a weak smile.

“Didn’t feel good.” Isak dropped his head down against Even’s chest.  “I’m glad you agree, though.”

“We can tell her once we’re out of the woods.” Even nodded.

“We could do it after the 12 week scan?” Isak whispered, used to Tove and Johan eavesdropping.

“Sounds like a plan.” Even agreed.  “We’re still telling my _parents_ tonight, though, right?” He checked.  He wouldn’t have been surprised if Isak had had a _total_ change of heart after his brainwave.

“Yeah.  Yeah, definitely.” Isak lifted his head back up and the look on his face surprised Even.

“Let’s do it.” Isak had a look of determination on his face that Even was sure was usually reserved for soldier on the battlefield and not half of a pregnant young couple, but he respected his boy’s gumption.

“Let do it.” Even agreed, planting a quick kiss on Isak’s cheek before they joined the rest of the family in the kitchen.

Dinner with his parents went like it always did: Isak and his dad talked about Isak’s course and the latest news in the scientific world, and Even and his mum exchanged news and gossip and generally talked about _normal_ things.  After a few minutes of that Isak asked Elise how school was, and she lit up at her chance to contribute to the dinner conversation and would regale them all with the new things she was learning and the things she thought were boring.

They also got clued up on _all_ the latest playground gossip and drama, of which there was always a _lot_.  Even didn’t remember primary school being so dramatic, but then again he hadn’t had the world in his pocket when he had been that young.

Somehow between all the talking and the laughing they all managed to clear their plates – Even’s dad prided himself on always feeding his guests well – and they moved onto dessert.  Even was simultaneously surprised and not surprised by the way Isak picked at his piece of cake; he usually wolfed Johan’s food down like it was about to be snatched out from in front of him, but the nerves were clearly starting to seep in.

Even knew that Isak knew the dinner routine as well as he did.  After dinner Elise would be sent to start getting ready for bed, leaving the boys alone with Even’s parents for the first time since those brief moments at the front door hours ago.

Which meant the time to tell was drawing near.

“Goodnight, Isak!” Elise looked like she’d rather stay with Isak considerably more than go and have some chill time in her room, but – like the boys – she knew the dinner routine too.

“Goodnight, Ellie-belly.” Isak pulled her up onto his lap for a quick hug and Even was sure he saw Isak rest his nose against the top of Ellie’s head and breathe her in for a few seconds while she held onto him.  He wondered if Isak was thinking about what their baby would smell like.

“Don’t forget the sleepover.” Elise whispered, and Even was glad he was close to both hear his sister’s whispered reminder as well as see the smile it brought to his mate’s face.

“I won’t.  I’ll see you soon.” Isak promised as he set her back on her feet.  Even gave Elise a tight hug of his own and watched with a pang of sadness as she wandered off to her room.  He hadn’t lied – he did agree with Isak – but he wished he could tell her tonight too.  He had never liked keeping things from her.

“You boys both seem uncharacteristically quiet tonight.” Tove commented after they heard Elise’s footsteps pad up the stairs.

 _Busted_.

He had never been able to get anything past his mother; Even wasn’t sure why he thought he could start now.

“We- uh…we actually have some news.” Isak stuttered out.  Even reached out and took Isak’s hand.  He was convinced that he could feel Isak’s pulse thrumming in his wrist inches away from where Even’s fingers were laced through Isak’s, just from the sheer force of Isak’s anxiety.

The last thing either of them needed right then was anxiety; especially not the tiny life that Isak was trying to cultivate.

“You do?” Tove smiled slyly and – in what Even was sure she _thought_ was a totally subtle movement – glanced at their hands where he assumed she was looking for any sort of rings.  As if she wouldn’t have noticed immediately if Even had finally put a ring on it.

“We’re all ears.” Johan leaned back in his seat and watched them, and for a second Even almost lost his nerve.  But they needed this.  They _needed_ someone else to know so that they weren’t being crushed under the weight of their little growing secret.

“We’re pregnant.” There was no point beating around the bush and prolonging both of their anxieties.  Tove’s hands flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped, whereas Even’s dad simply raised an eyebrow back at them.  His mother had always been a bit of a drama queen; Isak liked to tease him that Even was just like his mother, but he was adamant that she was worse.

“How far?” Johan asked when it became apparent that Even had knocked all the words out of his mother with his announcement.

“We had the six week scan this morning.” Isak was gripping his hand so tightly that Even’s fingertips were starting to tingle, but there was no way in hell that he was going to ask Isak to let go.

“And?” Tove demanded when she finally snapped back to reality.

“And…so far everything is where it should be.” The little smile that played around Isak’s lips as he said that completely renewed Even’s belief that life was worth living.

“How long have you known?” Tove looked between them with wide eyes.

“About three weeks.” Even said, skimming his thumb back and forth across the back of Isak’s hand.  His baby still looked so nervous.

“You’ve known since Isak was three weeks pregnant?” Johan’s eyebrows went back up at that.

“With all the issues with my health I guess we just noticed quicker than most people when things started changing.” Isak shrugged, and in that moment Even was furious at his father for making Isak look so uncomfortable.

“You must have been so surprised.” Tove looked between them both, her eyes still about the same size as their dinner plates.

“I think it’s only just starting to sink in.” Isak gave her a weak smile.  “We never thought this would happen for us.”

“It’s a lot of responsibility.  Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Even was about three seconds away from committing patricide and it must have shown on his face because his dad held his hands up in surrender.

“I’m just being practical, Even.  Isak is still in university and your career is just finding its feet.  Are you ready to add a pregnancy and then a baby into that mix?” Johan asked.

“I actually have a plan already.” Isak said smoothly before Even could go off at his father across the table.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Tove shot an annoyed look at her husband before looking back to Isak with nothing but concern in her eyes.

 _Yeah, Isak, what is it?_   Even wanted to ask.  He hadn’t realised that Isak had already been planning inside that pretty head of his.

“It’s April now, and I’ve just reached six weeks.  So by the time this year at uni finishes in June I’ll be about four months.  I’m going to talk to my course leader about deferring my place for a year so I can have the baby and have some time at home with them, and I’m going to see if there’s a way to do my course part time once my year is up.” Isak explained it all so smoothly that it was obvious to Even that he had had this plan for a while.

“Smart.” Johan nodded.

“That’s probably the best plan you could have come up with.” Tove agreed before a huge smile broke out across her face.  “You boys must be so happy!  God, _I’m_ so happy for you!” Even wasn’t at all surprised when his mother wiped away a few happy tears.

“We’ve just got over the shock.” Even laughed and Isak nodded beside him.  “But I think we’re both happy.” He watched Isak’s face for confirmation, and Isak looked over at him with the softest expression in his eyes.

“I’m so happy.” He breathed, and Even just couldn’t resist bumping their foreheads together gently and stealing a quick kiss.

“Oh, boys.” Even could _hear_ the emotional tears in his mother’s voice and he tried hard not to laugh.  He moved back from Isak so that they were back to facing his parents, but he kept their hands together.

“You know we’ll be here for anything you need.” Even nodded at his dad’s promise, and for the first time since hearing the news Johan smiled at them.

“Congratulations, boys.  It’s not easy having kids, but – _hell_ – it’s so worth it.” Johan was starting to look quite emotional and Even wasn’t sure what to do with that.  He was just glad that both of his parents were on board with their situation if he was honest.

“We needed someone to know that we’re pregnant now – before the twelve week mark – because we all know that my health hasn’t always been great.” Isak held onto his hand tighter and Even gave him a reassuring squeeze.  “And if something goes wrong…” Isak trailed off, but thankfully Even’s mum picked the conversation back up.

“We’ll be here for whatever you boys need, whenever you need it.” She reached across the table and covered their clasped hands with her own.  “We’re so touched that you’ve told us this early on.  Thank you.” Aaaaaand there were the tears making a reappearance.

“Do you want to see the scan?” Isak’s voice sounded wobbly, and when Even looked over he was surprised to see Isak giving Tove a watery smile of his own.

“Oh, baby.” Even laughed, leaning across and kissing over Isak’s cheeks until the tears were gone.  “Getting emotional already, huh?” Even teased quietly with his lips still against Isak’s skin.

“Ev, you have no idea what you’re in for, son.” Johan laughed, but Tove slapped at his arm with the back of her hand.

“Stop distracting them!  _Yes_ , we want to see the scan, Isak!” His mother was practically jumping up and down in her seat.  Even was about to tell her to take a breath and calm down when he felt Isak’s hand slip into his back pocket and he almost jumped out of his own chair in surprise.

“I’m just getting your wallet, Ev.  For the scan pictures.” Isak was definitely trying not to laugh at him and Even felt himself blush.

“Smooth.” Johan smirked at him from across the table and Even rolled his eyes, leaning forwards in his chair so that Isak could get his wallet out easier.

“Lemme just-” Isak muttered as he fished one of the copies out of Even’s wallet.  “There you go.  This copy is actually yours; you can keep it.” He passed it over to Tove with a huge smile, and Even was sure that his heart had never felt warmer than it did watching his mate hand his mother their first pregnancy scan photo.

“Oh, Johan, _look_!” Tove huddled up next to her husband and they both looked at the scan.  “Can you believe Ev and Ellie started like that?” His mum shook her head in awe and Even had a surge of love for the woman who had given him life.

“It seems like a lifetime ago.” Johan shook his head.  “I guess it is, in a way.”

Even looked at Isak and watched his face as he watched Even’s parents marvel over the photo.  Even was the luckiest man on the planet to get to have this with Isak.  He tore his eyes away from his fucking _radiant_ mate just in time to see his dad tilt his head slightly at the scan.

“I forgot how much they look like the Rorschach inkblots this early on.” Johan admitted.  Besides him Even could hear Isak groan, but Even was filled to the brim with the sweet sweet feeling of validation.

“That’s what I said!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS???????
> 
> Remember guys, I take requests for scenes you wanna see, so let me know if there's anything you want in this fic and I'll add it to the list on my phone!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	5. We knew it wasn't going to be all glamorous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for how long it took me to get this chapter up; I had a bit of writer's block for this early stage of the pregnancy and then I got a horrible chest infection and I was just trying to get through the days at work without dropping dead. hopefully a relatively normal uploading schedule should resume from now

Even was sleeping soundly besides him and all Isak could think was _god I wish that was me_.  They had fallen into their old routine and Isak had to admit that there was comfort in the consistency.  Tonight had been one of Isak’s early finishes, so it had been his turn to get dinner ready.

It had been so good to have dinner with Even and talk about almost exclusively normal things.  Apart from Even checking when he got home that Isak – and Jellybean, because apparently that nickname had stuck – was doing alright, they hadn’t talked about the pregnancy at all.

Even had had a shit day on set.  He’d described it as a shit show taking place on a train as it flew off the tracks and spontaneously combusted, so it must have been bad.  Isak had heated up their dinner and let Even rant about the multiple disasters he had had to deal with, and by the time Even got the end of his recount they had both almost finished eating.

They had retired to bed pretty much right after they had cleared their plates.  Isak just left all the washing up to soak in the sink because he would much rather go lie down with Even than deal with his actual responsibilities.

He blamed that decision on his current problem.

He had a killer case of indigestion going on.  He should have known better than to lie down straight after eating and now he was suffering.

All he had wanted was to cuddle his boyfriend, for fucks sake!

And now he had a horrendous ache in his stomach and felt bloated and just generally horrible when he could have been sleeping soundly next to Even.

To say that he wasn’t a happy bunny was an understatement.  He lay there quietly – because as grumpy as he was he wasn’t going to _force_ Even to be awake with him – and rubbed slow clockwise circles on his belly to try to release some of the wind he was sure was trapped in there.

In the end, though, he didn’t _have_ to wake Even up.  Just as Isak was about to roll onto his side in a ball of defeat his boyfriend shifted besides him, and slowly slid an arm over his waist.

“Is?” Even’s voice was croaky and he looked groggy as hell, but somehow he still made Isak feel better.

“I have a stomach ache.” Isak mumbled, probably sounding every bit as sorry for himself as he felt.  He didn’t care; ever since he almost died he had got used to being a _little_ bit spoilt when he was ill.  Even always knew exactly how to help him through without being patronising, and he always gave the best cuddles.

In fairness, Isak spoilt Even when he got sick too.  Isak just happened to be the one who got sick the most.

“Aw, no.” Even shuffled closer behind him until Isak was a safely cocooned little spoon, and when Even spread his warm hands over Isak’s queasy stomach it definitely took the edge off of his discomfort.

“Anything I can do?” Even mumbled into the back of Isak’s shoulder, probably already halfway back to sleep.  His man worked so hard, and now he was coming home and looking after Isak every day.  No wonder he fell asleep at the drop of a hat.

“You’re doing it all already.” Isak rested his arms on top of Even’s to keep the soothing warmth where it was, and sure enough Even’s breathing had evened back out behind him.

How had Isak got so lucky?

***

The next thing Isak knew a dull ringing noise was waking him up.  He was wrapped around Even like a heat seeking pretzel, his face mashed into Even’s bite and his nose stuffed full of Even’s sleep-warm scent.

It was Isak’s idea of heaven and he was _not_ impressed to have been woken up from it.

“Ev…” He groaned, lifting his head up groggily.  Even – as usual – slept dead through the noise and Isak’s grumbling.  Isak _would_ have let it slide like he had so many times in the past, but when he looked over to the source of the noise and saw that it was _Even’s_ phone lighting up their bedside table there was no way he could let Even sleep through.

“Ev, wake up.  Your phone.” Years of insomnia meant that Isak at least woke up quickly when he was unexpectedly woken, which meant that at least _one_ of them woke up when shit happened in the night.

Even gave some sort of grunt in response that Isak took to mean _I can hear it but I don’t want to acknowledge it I want to stay asleep_.  He had become fluent in half-asleep-Even over the years.

“Wake up.  Someone’s trying to FaceTime.” Isak had a feeling that he should know who was trying to call them, but at that time in the morning there was no hope of his brain being any use so he just dragged himself into a sitting position and shook Even’s shoulder until he conceded.

“Up, I’m up.” Even grumbled after a few vigorous shakes.  While Even sat up Isak took a second to look properly at Even’s screen and his eyes widened.

“It’s the 8th.” He realised.  “Ev, it’s Elise’s birthday, hurry up!” Isak didn’t want to miss Tove’s FaceTime request so he grabbed the phone off the table and shuffled closer to Even.  They sat side by side and after pulling the duvet up a bit and flicking their lamp on Isak hit the answer button.

Sure enough, the screen filled up with Elise’s little face.

“You took forever!” The accusation in her voice couldn’t have been clearer.  _How could you possibly sleep when it’s my birthday and therefore the most exciting day ever?_

“Sorry, it’s just too early for oldies like me and your brother.” Isak smiled across at Even, who still looked like his brain was trying to catch up with not being asleep any more.

“It’s almost seven!” Elise argued, her fair eyebrows rising disbelievingly.

“Yeah, seven in the _morning_.” Was Even’s dazed response and Isak couldn’t help but laugh.

“All that matters is that we answered eventually.” Isak shook his head before laying it on Even’s bare shoulder.

“Like we’d miss your birthday call!” Even seemed to finally be with them and Isak watched as Elise practically vibrated with excitement.

“Mama gave me your presents but I wanted you to be here when I opened them.” Elise turned Tove’s phone slightly to reveal the little stack of presents neatly tied together that Isak recognised as Even’s handiwork.

“But she told me that you two would probably be busy so I should call you instead.” Isak thought he detected a hint of a pout in there somewhere, but Elise brightened up too quickly for him to be sure.

“Open them then!” Isak encouraged.  That was all the go-ahead Elise needed apparently, because the next thing Isak knew she had propped the phone up against her lamp and wrapping paper was flying everywhere.

“Bloody hell.” Even mumbled, shooting Isak a wide eyed stare.  “Do you remember birthdays ever being that exciting?” He asked lowly and Isak had to roll his eyes at Even’s dramatics.

“As if you weren’t exactly the same at Ellie’s age!  You’re both so dramatic; your parents clearly made the same mistake twice.” He whispered back, keeping his eye on the screen so he knew when Elise had got through the paper.

“It’s your hat!” Elise’s delighted squeal was probably audible from two cities away and the damage to Isak’s eardrums was totally worth it for the look of delight on her little face.

“I’ve always known how much you love it, so I thought I’d finally give it to you.” Even grinned at her through the phone and Isak’s heart warmed right through watching Elise tug Even’s old grey beanie onto her head.

“It suits you.” Isak smiled.  It was true; for as long as he had known Elise she had been obsessed with that particular hat of Even’s.  It wasn’t anything special – was it even possible for a beanie to be special? – but whenever Even had taken her out places wearing it she had insisted on trying it on the moment he took it off.

Secretly Isak had always thought it looked better on Elise, so he was glad the hat _officially_ belonged to her now.  Said hat remained on her head as she moved onto her next present, and Isak suspected that that was going to be the world’s most worn beanie.

What happened next came suddenly.

One minute Isak was listening to Elise pooh and ahhhh over the Peter Pan colouring book they had got her (she loved Peter Pan; she was convinced that growing up was the worst thing that could ever happen to a person, which Isak was inclined to agree with) and then out of nowhere his stomach turned.  He was out of bed like a shot and into the bathroom, and he just about managed to throw the lid out of the way before he threw up the contents of his stomach.

Like most people on the planet: Isak hated vomiting.  He hated the loss of control and the putrid smell and the awful burning sensation up his throat and the pain he got in his knees when he was hugging porcelain.

Even – of course – knew all of this and Isak barely had the time to freak out about being sick before Even was by his side smoothing his hair back from his forehead and making soft noises in the back of his throat.

“Get it all out, there we go.” Even rubbed his back slowly as Isak threw up what he hoped were the last dregs from his stomach.  Theoretically he had known that morning sickness was probably going to affect him – Isak just didn’t have the good luck to be the sort of pregnant person who _didn’t_ get morning sickness – but he hadn’t expected it to be quite so _sudden_.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had actually vomited.  It had been a long time since he and Even had really partied that hard, and they both managed to avoid sickness bugs some how.

Isak couldn’t say he had missed the experience.

When he was definitely finished he forced himself to lift up a shaky hand and flush the toilet before lying down on the bathroom floor for a rest, not wanting the smell to linger for any longer than it already had.

It took Even mere seconds to shift Isak’s head onto his lap and start pushing his fingers through Isak’s sweaty hair.

“That was disgusting.” Isak mumbled into Even’s leg.  He was trying to focus on how nice Even’s fingers felt in his hair but his throat was still burning.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be all glamorous.” Even scratched gently at Isak’s scalp and Isak’s eyes drifted shut.

“We did.” He sighed.  “What did you tell Elise?” Now that the vomiting was over Isak found himself feeling rather guilty for prematurely ending Elise’s birthday FaceTime.

“That you weren’t very well and I had to go make you feel better.” Isak could feel Even shrug.  “I told her we’d try to phone her back this evening so she could tell us how her birthday was.”

“We both better try to get home at a respectable time then.” Isak mumbled.  Despite literally being sprawled over the bathroom floor after throwing up the contents of his stomach, Isak could feel himself starting to nod back off.  Even’s lap wasn’t even that comfortable – Even had long accepted this he was going to be a string bean forever, regardless of how much he ate – but apparently all Isak needed was something relatively soft and warm under his head to get him to sleep.

It probably helped that all he could smell was Even, even before he buried his face further into Even’s leg to get comfy.

“Are you seriously about to fall asleep down there?” Even laughed, but he kept moving his fingers through Isak’s hair at that slow easy pace that he _knew_ put Isak out like a light.

When Isak woke up again he was back in their bed, wrapped up like a burrito in their big duvet.  His alarm was going off, which meant that he had slept right through Even getting up and leaving for work, and when he grabbed for his phone to turn the godforsaken noise off he noticed a notification from Even.

He turned the alarm off and sat up – as much as he wanted to go back to sleep he did actually need to go to class today – before opening the snap from Even.  Thankfully Even hadn’t put a time limit on it because it took Isak at least four seconds to actually work out what he was looking at.

It was their bed, and after a bit of squinting Isak could see the top of his hair sticking out from the top of the duvet.  That was about all that was visible of him, though, and for a brief second he was jealous of his past-self for being so cosy.  Once he had established what the picture was he glanced down at Even’s caption and his heart melted all over again for his sap of a mate.

 _My pregnant burrito_ ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this wasn't my best chapter, sorry guys
> 
> [Ellie in Even's old hat](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2b/e6/0e/2be60eae7d69cbea52f814bf1f744b74.jpg) (just imagine it without all the stupid logos)
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	6. We're going to make it to twelve weeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak has a sort of study date with Sana, but he has to bail halfway through to see Even. The boys spend their evening in bed. (2.7k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally some smut!! I hope this chapter makes up for how naff the previous one was; I think my mojo has returned 

“Earth to Isak.” Sana waved her hand in front of Isak’s eyes and he jerked back anxiously.

“Fuck.” Isak blinked quickly as he tried to calm his heart down.

“Are you in there?  This was meant to be a study session.” Sana raised an eyebrow at him and Isak blushed furiously.

“Sorry.  Guess I just have a lot on my mind.” Isak shook his head and tried to force himself to focus back on his notes.  He and Sana had taken different routes in their medical career, but they still liked to study together.  They had learned at Nissen that they worked well together, that somehow they kicked each other into gear when they studied together, so despite their branching out they made an effort to maintain their study dates.

Just because Sana had chosen to be a doctor and do all the people work and Isak had chosen to work behind the scenes researching medicines didn’t mean they couldn’t study together, right?

“Is everything alright?” Sana graced him with looking up from her notes for a second before going back to her work.

“Yeah, yeah.” Isak nodded.  “I guess got just stuck in my own head.  I am studying; I swear.” Isak held his hands up.  The truth was that Isak was edging closer to eight weeks pregnant and he was already knackered.  Morning sickness had well and truly got him in its grip, except it turned out that _morning sickness_ was more like _any time of the day that it feels like sickness_.

The night before Isak had almost thrown up over his own drug research notes and he was now terrified that he was going to puke on everything that he loved in the grossest form of self-sabotage.

He may have been over thinking it a bit.

He was also trying to come to terms with the fact that his waist had seriously thickened out in the last couple of weeks and he was _convinced_ that someone was going to figure out his secret.

So yeah, studying had sort of fallen to the wayside of his mind.

“It doesn’t really look like you’re studying.” Sana’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he put his pen down in defeat.

“I probably should have cancelled this study date.” He admitted.

“You wanna talk to your favourite part-dragon bestie about it?” Sana offered as she flipped her notebook closed.

“This isn’t really the sort of problem you can set fire to.” Isak smiled over at her just in time to see the fond way she rolled her eyes.

“How many times have I told you that that’s not how it works?” She scoffed.

“I know.  I just like seeing the face you make.” Isak teased.  He rested back in his chair and looked around the little café they had used for study dates since they were teenagers.

“Why am I still friends with you?” Sana shook her head, but the smile on her face reassured Isak that all was well with the world.

“We just have to deal with each other because your big brother and my big boyfriend; we’re not really friends.” Isak winked.

“I can believe it.” Sana laughed before taking another forkful of muffin.  She chewed for a few seconds before giving Isak that devious look that he had grown to love.  “Your big boyfriend, huh?”

“You know it.” Isak winked.

“So for real, do you need to talk about it?” Sana’s eyes were like laser beams; it was so intense that Isak almost wanted to shield his slightly protruding belly from it, but he knew that was ridiculous.

“Nah, it’s alright.  I guess I’m just not in the right place today for studying today.”

“Can you give me a hint?  I can tell you want to talk about it.” Sana knew him so well.

“It might not even be anything yet.” Isak sighed.  “It’s a…health thing.  We just have to watch and see what happens for now.” That was the brutal truth.  Isak was terrified that one day he was going to wake up covered in blood with an empty belly.

“Is everything okay?” Sana’s eyebrows pulled together and Isak hated the concern in her eyes.  He hated how quickly people got worried about him after everything that had happened when he was a teenager.

“Yeah, it’s nothing too serious.” Isak lied.  He was both grateful and embarrassed by how easily lying still came to him.  “Like I said: we just have to wait and see.  I guess I just keep thinking about it _because_ of how little there is I can do about it.”

“Understandable.” Sana took a long sip of her tea and Isak took the opportunity to check his phone.  He knew there wasn’t going to be anything from Even because the director he was working with at the moment was unbelievably paranoid about the staff having their phones on set, but the more he thought about it the more he wanted – _needed_ – to see Even.

“I think I have to go.” Isak said before he even thought his plan through.

“Took you long enough.” Sana smirked at him over the top of her cup and Isak was reminded of just why he loved her so much.

“You’re the best, Sanasol.” He started packing his things back into his bag as quickly as he could, trying not to disturb any of Sana’s things.

“You don’t need to stroke my ego; I’m not a man.  Just go.” Sana rolled her eyes.  “You’re paying for next session though.” She added, gesturing to the food and drink on their table.

“Deal.” Isak nodded as he swung his bag onto his shoulder.  “You’re gonna nail that test; don’t sweat it.” He gave her a quick thumbs up, which put that cute dimply smile on her face, before he turned and left.

It took him just over an hour to get to where he knew Even was shooting, and he spent his entire commute itching to hug his mate.  As much as he had protested the traditional alpha/omega dynamic in his youth there was nothing that soothed his nerves and made him feel better than wrapping himself up in his alpha’s arms and letting someone look after him for a while.

He liked to think that was just the Even effect, though, and not just a result of their biology’s.

Thankfully when he arrived everyone seemed to be taking a breather – apart from the nervous little man flitting around one of the cameras – and Even was sat on a park bench soaking up the weak April sunshine.

Isak took a moment to just enjoy the view: Even was either unashamed or unaware of the fact that he was taking up the whole bench by himself, but Isak was enjoying looking at his boyfriend’s long legs spread wide and his arms stretched out on either side of him and the long expanse of his throat that was all on show because he had his head tipped back.  Isak could even see the top of his bite peeking out from the collar of Even’s shirt, and that was the detail that finally pushed him into action.

He crossed the park and sat himself down on top of one of Even’s legs before nuzzling into Even’s bite needily.

“Whoa!” Even’s eyes snapped open and stared at Isak in shock.  “Baby, what are you doing here?” Even cupped a hand protectively over the back of Isak’s head, effectively securing him in place, and Isak melted into the contact.

“I missed you.  I think we should have a date night.” He sighed against Even’s collar as he rubbed his face further into his mate’s bite.

“That sounds really good.” Even agreed, threading his fingers into Isak’s hair and playing with his curls.  “I can be home by half eight tonight.” Even told him quietly and Isak nodded into his neck.

“I’ll make something nice for dinner.” He promised.

“You okay, angel?  I thought you were studying with Sana?” Even brushed a few light kisses against the top of Isak’s head as he waited for Isak’s response.

“We were studying.  Well, _Sana_ was studying; I don’t really know what I was doing.” Isak admitted.  “I keep getting all caught up inside my own head and people are noticing it.  I don’t want people to notice before- before this is actually _something_.” Isak faltered a bit over his words but he managed to get his point out.

He wasn’t sure what he would do if people figured out that he was pregnant and then he lost the baby.  He was just coming up to eight weeks; there was still another month he had to get through where every day felt overshadowed by the possibility that he could _lose_ this baby.

People already looked at him like he was a charity case: the omega that almost destroyed his own body by trying _not_ to be an omega.  He could just imagine how people would look at him if he added _omega who lost a miracle baby_ to that title.

“We’re going to make it to twelve weeks.” Even promised, dipping his head and pressing a kiss to Isak’s forehead.  “For now, though, we just need to get you out of your head.” Even murmured in that low voice that made Isak’s whole body tingle.

That voice only ever meant one thing.

***

It took about eight hours after Even made the initial promise, but Isak was _finally_ in his happy place.

They were on their bed: Isak lying on his side with his face pressed into the duvet to try to muffle the noises he was making, and Even on his knees behind him fucking into him like they had all the time in the world.  Isak was pretty sure his brain was melting from all the stimulation.

Even had one hand hooked around the meat of Isak’s thigh and he used that grip to move Isak’s leg around just enough to help himself sink deeper inside of Isak, and every time Even managed to get himself deeper inside Isak keened helplessly into the duvet.  He was vaguely aware of Even’s other arm behind him; whenever Even ground the head of his dick lazily into Isak’s prostate and Isak jolted back like he’d touched a live wire he ended up knocking _into_ that arm.

At one point he actually knocked it out from under Even and Even reflexively tightened his grip on Isak’s thigh as he grappled to get his balance back, and Isak didn’t even care that he was going to have bruises all over his thigh.

“Careful, angel, don’t want to squash you.” Even panted into Isak’s neck, taking advantage of his lowered position to lick the sweat from Isak’s bite and effectively killing whatever words Isak had been about to say.

“How do you always taste so sweet?” Even groaned against Isak’s bite.  The deep vibrations against one of his most sensitive parts combined with the way Even was rolling his hips into him deliciously meant that Isak was in no place to answer Even’s question, but Even didn’t seem to care.

They had been in their current position for a while, but after licking Isak’s bite clean Even seemed filled with renewed purpose.  He was a man on a mission: following the damp path of Isak’s throat with butterfly kisses and kitten licks until he was sealing his lips around one of Isak’s nipples and running the point of his tongue around it over and over until it was twisted up tight and Isak was a writhing moaning mess underneath him.

“Close, Ev, I’m- I’m-” Isak stuttered out uselessly as he tried to grind himself back harder onto his boyfriend’s cock.

“Relax, angel, I’ve got you.” Even’s voice was so fucking deep and his chapped lips felt so rough against the sensitive skin of Isak’s chest and it was just _too_ much for Isak to process.  Even was lifting his thigh up again and Isak was so caught up in the way it let Even’s dick slide impossibly deeper into him that he didn’t notice Even’s other hand slip between his legs until suddenly one of Even’s calloused fingers was circling his clit in tight little circles and Isak went _flying_ over the edge.

“Oh, _god_ -” Isak pushed his face as hard into the mattress as he could in the hopes of it absorbing most of the noise he was making, because as much as Even loved listening to him sob out his orgasms they _did_ have neighbours.  Isak had no control over the way his body seized up while his nerves all fizzed, but from the noise it punched out of Even _someone_ appreciated it.

“Fuck, baby, _yes_ ,” Even pressed his face into Isak’s throat, pushing his hips flush with Isak’s as he reached his own orgasm pressed deep inside of his mate.  Isak could hardly tell which way was up any more; he couldn’t decide which sensation he wanted to chase more: Even’s fingers alternating between roughly working over his clit and tugging at his balls, Even’s lips _tantalisingly_ close to his bite, or Even’s cock emptying inside of him.

He was drowning in Even.  Nothing else existed.

“I love you, I love you, I _love_ you,” Isak moaned desperately as his body rocked between one sensation and the next.

“God, I love you too, angel.” Even groaned breathlessly, littering kisses all over Isak’s throat and his bite until Isak was shaking from the overstimulation.  “There isn’t enough time in all the universes for me to tell you just _how_ much I love you.” Even nuzzled into his bite one last time before moving away.

Isak was like a marionette with its strings cut.

The moment Even moved away from him to reach for the little bucket of soapy water and the washcloth (that they had put on the bedside table before they had even _started_ in possibly their most organised moment yet) Isak pretty much melted into the mattress.

He was completely boneless.  He was no help to Even at all while Even untangled himself from Isak’s slack body; the most response he got was the displeased whine that slipped out of Isak as Even pulled out.

“Sorry, baby.” Even whispered sympathetically.  Isak’s brain was like mush; he wasn’t even sure if he knew how to speak any more, so he just lay there exhausted while Even cleaned him up.  He was aware of all of Even’s come slowly trickling out of his hole all mixed up with Isak’s own slick, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He was halfway to falling asleep when Even’s voice made him stir.

“You’re getting stretch marks already.” Even’s fingers trailed across the silvery lines already adorning Isak’s waist and Isak just nodded sleepily.

“They’re gorgeous.” Isak heard the muffled _plop_ of the washcloth being dropped into the bucket before Even abruptly redistributed his weight next to him, jostling the bed.

“Glad you like them.” Isak turned over sleepily so he was facing his boyfriend, and he was taken aback by the soft look on Even’s face.

“I love everything about you.” Even whispered into the warm space between them.  That was when Even seemed to realise that the duvet was trapped beneath them and – after a lot of reluctant wiggling for the greater good – yanked it out so he could pull it over them both and create their usual little cocoon.

“You’re so cheesy.” Isak mumbled, but he shimmied over to Even and tucked his face into the crook of his neck anyway.

“I can tell it bothers you a lot.” Even teased as he brought a hand up and threaded it into Isak’s curls.

“I put up with it…because I love you.” Isak sighed sleepily, wiggling to get himself in the most comfortable position.  “Love you so much.” He nodded tiredly against Even’s bite.

Whatever Even said next was lost on Isak because he fell asleep, but Even didn’t mind.  He wrapped his free arm around Isak’s waist and, after a few blissful minutes of tracing the new marks on his baby’s skin that showed that Isak really _was_ cooking up a little baby in there, eventually joined Isak in the land of dreams.

Not that Even needed dreams when his reality with Isak was more than he had ever wished for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??????
> 
> [the gif inspiration for their position](http://babyboyissy.tumblr.com/post/172474871738)
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	7. (EVEN) I'm the idiot that gets to have a baby with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even talks things out with his therapist and then he and Isak go for their eight week scan! (just under 6k)

Even was just about ready to crawl out of his skin.

It was the day of their eight week scan – on Eriksen’s insistence that with Isak’s case the more scans the better to monitor Isak and Jellybean’s health – but their appointment wasn’t until almost 14.30.  Even had to get through his therapy session and he knew that Isak had his omega support group until 13.45.

It was so surreal to see Isak running the group that he used to attend, but he was unbelievably proud.  He was hoping to meet Isak at the end of the session and they could walk to the hospital together.

For now, though, he had a lot to talk through with his therapist.

He knew that Halvorsen had been surprised when he reached out and broke their usual _one appointment every six weeks_ routine, but Even knew himself well enough to know that Isak getting pregnant was more than likely to be an episode trigger.  They hadn’t discussed it yet as a couple, but his boy wasn’t stupid and Even appreciated that Isak trusted him enough not to be down his throat about it.

“Even, it’s nice to see you.” Anne smiled as he sat down.  “I hope everything’s okay?”

“Yeah, actually, things are really okay.” Even shucked his jacket off and dumped it over the back of his chair.

“That sounds exciting.” Anne raised her eyebrows expectantly and that was all it took for the news to burst out of Even.

“Isak’s pregnant.” He was pretty sure he hadn’t said those exact words out loud yet, and it felt _incredible_.

“Wow.” Anne actually leaned back in her seat at that, which probably said a lot about how many times not being able to give Isak a baby had come up in his sessions with her.

“That’s huge news, Even.  That’s why you came to see me early, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s just…a lot.” Even ran a hand through his hair.  “We’ve only told my parents so far because it’s still _really_ early, but I need someone removed from the situation to go through everything going on in my head.” He explained.

“I take it you’re planning on keeping the baby then?” Anne asked and Even nodded.

“Isak and I talked it out after we found out.  We know all the risks and we get that it’s not exactly the best timing, but we want this baby.  It’s our little miracle.” Even leaned back in his seat and swung back and forth slightly.  One thing he had always appreciated was the comfy office chair Anne had for her patients; it let Even hurl his body around while he tried to untangle his thoughts into something he could explain to another human being.

“It’s a big deal.” Anne agreed.  “So what have you been thinking about it all?”

It was like the dam broke.

“I’ve been thinking about _everything_.  We have the eight week scan this afternoon but I feel like I can already see the changes in Isak’s body.  It’s just so crazy – _sorry_ , I know – that suddenly this body I know better than my own is suddenly changing and it’s all because he’s growing our little baby in there.” Even could feel that his eyes were like dinner plates but he was past caring what Anne thought of him while he ranted.

“And I feel bad for even worrying that the pregnancy and the baby is going to be a trigger, because Isak’s the one who’s actually _growing_ that life and I know he’s terrified and I’m meant to be the chill one who’s there for him to make sure he and the baby are okay through it all, but I _am_ worried about it.

I know our plan has been working really well, but I’ve had a few episodes along the way and I just don’t want Isak to think badly of me if my brain craps out on me when he’s the one actually _doing_ something.” Even was rolling himself quickly back and forth on the office chair, giving its wheels the most work out they’d probably ever seen, and he was starting to get breathless from talking and moving his legs so much.

“I know logically that Isak probably _wouldn’t_ think twice about it if I did have an episode, but I just don’t want to put that stress on him when he’s going to be so _fragile_.  And the baby; that little thing probably won’t stand a chance if I’m stressing Isak out because my brain can’t function like a normal person’s – _sorry_ – and I’m just so fucking scared that I’m going to ruin everything somehow.  And what if I pass my shit-show of a brain onto that baby?  What if we get through this pregnancy and we get our sweet little miracle and then when they get a bit older I can _see_ it happening.  I don’t- I don’t know how to be the one watching the episodes happen.  Fuck, I don’t think I could bear watching my child spiral out of control like I have.  And it would be _my_ fault because of _my_ bad genes-”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Even.” Anne voice bounced off the walls and it was only then that Even realised the strain in his throat like he had been shouting.  Had he been shouting?

“Sorry.” He whispered, forcing himself to be still in his chair.

“You don’t need to be sorry; I could just see that you were going off into a bit of a tailspin and those aren’t helpful to anyone.” Anne gave him that reassuring smile that had got him through many a session.

“You’ve already mentioned a lot of things I’d like to discuss, so why don’t we start with the pregnancy related ones first?  Let’s not even think about when the baby’s born yet; just one step at a time.” Anne advised and Even nodded along.

Most of their appointments were short and sweet – because their plan for him _was_ working – but when Even had a lot on his mind he really did value Anne’s input.  From where he was sat he could see that she had half a page of notes scribbled next to her, so she must have got _something_ from his meltdown.

“I’d like to start with your misplaced guilt.  Yes Isak’s body is the one that’s going to change while your baby grows, but _both_ of your lives are changing now.  Every single day your lives will be more and more different.  Of course that’s going to affect both of you, but just from the fact you _made_ this appointment with me and shared these concerns shows me that you’re on top of your bipolar.”

“I should be after all this time.” He muttered.  It always made him feel weird inside when Anne actually said ‘bipolar’ out loud in their appointments.

“Not everyone is as self-aware as you, Even.  You know the feelings and the thoughts that come at the start of an episode, or even just a little blip, and you can recognise them before they build up.  That gives you time to tell someone and make sure you’re not alone and that someone can be there to help if it _does_ turn into a big thing.  I’ve had patients who haven’t had that awareness and it’s incredibly difficult.  You should be proud of yourself for knowing your mind so well.” Anne’s words were so encouraging, but Even’s brain felt stuck on the idea that some people had no idea their episodes were coming.

He had only had one major episode that seemed to come out of nowhere and it had been the most terrifying experience of his – and probably his parents’ – life.  It hadn’t occurred to him that he might actually be considered well functioning to some people when he always felt a breath away from falling apart even though it had been a long time since his last blip.

“If I remember rightly you and Isak have a system for your episodes?” Anne’s question forced Even to stop thinking and he forced himself to look away from the weirdly patterned lino and at his therapist.

“We do.  But if it gets really bad we’ve always said I could go back to my parents if it’s too much for Isak.” Just saying those words reminded Even how damn lucky he was to have the parents he did.

“And that was in place before Isak was ever pregnant, wasn’t it?” Anne pointed out.  “I think it would be good to talk to Isak – and your parents, probably – about potentially altering your arrangement while Isak is pregnant because you _are_ right that this isn’t a good time to be putting stress on your partner.  But at the end of the day that’s _Isak’s_ choice to make and not yours, as much as you want to protect him.”

Protecting Isak was all Even had ever wanted.  From the first moment he had seen Isak taking drugs from that scumbag Eli in his friend’s backyard, he had wanted to make things better for him.

“We have a group chat, me and Isak and my parents?” Even said uncertainly.  Was this the sort of thing they could talk about over text?  He hoped so.

“Maybe run it by Isak first?” Anne’s lips twitched like she was trying not to laugh, and for some reason that helped Even relax a little.

“Obviously I’d tell Isak first.” He rolled his eyes.

“Good.” She smiled.  Even knew that therapists had to be professional, but he was pretty sure that Anne liked him.  Not in any weird romantic way; he just always got the feeling that he was talking to a friend rather than a professional.  But maybe all of her patients felt that way; what did he know?

“Does it worry you?  Seeing Isak’s body changing?” Anne’s question surprised him so much that he caught himself actually leaning away from her in his chair.

“Not…really?” Even didn’t _think_ he was worried about it, anyway.  “It’s just weird right now.  We’re only at the very beginning of the pregnancy and Jellybean has- _yes_ , Anne, I call the baby Jellybean, I _saw_ that smirk – has a lot of growing to do still, but Isak’s body already looks and feels different.  Not in a bad way though.” He figured that was what she meant?  Was he _repulsed_ by his baby’s body growing and changing to accommodate their little miracle?

Abso-fucking-lutely not.

“Isak’s body changed a lot at the start of our relationship, you know that.” Even shrugged.  “I guess I’m just so used to knowing everything physical about him that it’s thrown me a bit that I’m finding news things now.  It’s kind of exciting though?” That was definitely it, Even realised.

It was _exciting_.  Feeling Isak’s waist getting wider or his hands starting to swell a little or finding stretch marks one once unmarred skin that he knew like the back of his hand was _exciting_.  Isak’s body giving good surprises was a nice change and Even realised that he was already enjoying it.

He was going to be one of _those_ alphas.  The ones that were constantly touching and reclaiming their mate while they were pregnant because they were just going out of their mind with love.

He could only hope that he wouldn’t cross the line and piss Isak off; that was the last thing Even wanted.

“You know I hate this word, but that’s _normal_ , Even!  Pregnancy is a really exciting time in a couple’s life.  Yeah, it’s terrifying too, but you two have made a life together and that _is_ really exciting.  Don’t be ashamed that you’re excited.  I understand that it can be a bit more intense with your exquis genetics, but even for us sapiens it’s exciting.  Those feelings aren’t anything you should be worried about or ashamed of.” Anne promised.

“I’m sure you know that when pregnant a person’s sex drive can change?” Anne added, and Even felt his eyes widen.

“Y-yes?” He was mortified.  There weren’t many times that sex had come up in their talks and when it did it was almost always excruciatingly embarrassing for him.  Anne was like a close female relative – a cousin, maybe – and her acknowledging his sex life always made him cringe like nails down a chalkboard.

“That’s also true for the partner.  There’s nothing perverted about loving Isak’s body and how it’s changing.” Anne cleared her throat.  “And that’s all I have to say about _that_ , because I know it makes you uncomfortable.  I just wanted to put that out there for you to think about.”

“Okay.” Even whispered, his eyes back to being trained on the lino.

“And last but not least: that big worry.” Anne took a breath and adjusted herself in her seat, which made Even think that she had a lot to say on the matter.

“Almost every patient I have who becomes a parent is scared of passing their condition on.” Anne began and Even wanted to sink through the ground.  “It has been found that there’s a genetic component to bipolar disorder, but that is _not_ a guarantee that your child will be bipolar.  But consider this: if it does turn out that they have that gene, they’ll have a parent who _intrinsically_ understands the condition.  Then there’s Isak, who has supported you for years.  Your child’s grandparents will also be experienced helping someone with bipolar.  Your child will also most likely have experienced bipolar symptoms through you – that’s inevitable, Even – as they’ve grown up, so it won’t be something completely alien to them.  If you child _does_ have bipolar then they are going to have a rock solid support system in place _because_ of your experiences.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Even admitted quietly.  He was fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair, but he glanced over at Anne to let her know that her message was sinking in.

“Most people get stuck on the idea of their little bundle of joy having to endure suicidal thoughts, or the lack of control in a manic episode, things like that.  It’s very difficult for parents to think about their child going through challenges like that, because it’s our job to _protect_ them.  But when it comes to MI all you can do is recognise the signs and do your best to keep your children safe through the rough times.” Anne was so calm about it, but it made Even want to cry thinking about their little Jellybean one day thinking about ending their miraculous life.

“What I’m trying to say, Even, is that all your experiences and your plans with your family is going to make you all _ready_ for if your child is bipolar too.  Some parents’ first experience with mental illness is when it presents in their children and they have to scrabble for answers and ways to help, and it’s a nightmare for everyone involved.  Think of all the time and heartbreak you’ll save.” That was one way to look at it, Even supposed.  At least he and Isak were never going to be clueless parents.

“And you’ve mentioned before that Isak’s mother is schizophrenic?” Anne looked at him expectantly until he nodded yes.  “Schizophrenia also has a genetic component.  And Isak is high functioning on the autistic spectrum, which _also_ has a genetic link.  You need to remember that this baby isn’t _just_ getting your genes.” Even wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or not, but he appreciated not being the only one with iffy genes to pass on.

“I guess the point that I want to impress on you, Even, is that there’s no guarantee either way.  All you can do is love your child, and I don’t have any doubt that you can do that.” At that Even sat up straight in his chair and looked directly over at Anne.

“I already love them more than anything.”

“There you go then.” Anne smiled.

***

Even felt infinitely better after his appointment.  He even caught himself whistling as he walked to the omega centre like some cliché alpha in a Disney cartoon.  He was ridiculous, but he felt lighter than he had in a while so it was damn well worth it.

He still had a stupid smile on his face as he made his way into the centre.  After a recent rise in omega hate crimes across Europe they had tightened up their security, so Even had to show the lady at the front desk his ID as well as a photo of him and Isak together to verify that he was there to meet someone before she let him through the security door.

It was a little redundant seeing as he and Isak had been there a lot over the years, but rules were rules.  It took a couple minutes out of his day but it helped him sleep at night knowing that they vetted everyone who went through that door.  The thought of something happening to Isak while he was in the omega centre just trying to help other omegas made Even’s blood go cold and his brain shut down, so he actively tried not to think of it.

He heard Isak before anything else.  As Even walked through the corridor of rooms towards the back room that they used for the support group he became more aware of someone talking, and by the time he was outside the door he was definite that it was Isak speaking.  He couldn’t quite make out _what_ he was saying, but it was definitely Isak’s voice.

In his eagerness to see his boyfriend against Even almost just let himself in, but at the last second before his hand connected with the doorknob he remembered to check his watch.  There was a strict _no alpha_ rule in the support group until it was finished unless an omega specifically requested to have said alpha with them.  Even had gone with Isak a few times and it had been a fascinating experience, but the whole thing was just tinged with a bittersweet sadness that omegas still _needed_ support groups.

Thankfully his watch read just after 13.45 so he was all clear to go in.

As soon as he opened the door the smell of omegas hit him in the face with as much force as if he’d run straight into a wall.  Even on his mood and hormone stabilisers he could smell all the lingering omega distress in the room and he searched frantically for Isak.

He found his mate stood by the refreshment table starting to clear the leftover biscuits away and Even crossed the room quickly.  He knew it was stupid – if Isak had been in any real distress Even would have _felt_ it – but he _needed_ to know that Isak was okay.

“Hey, Ev.” Isak turned around just as Even was coming up behind him.  Before Even could even say anything Isak was pushing himself into Even’s personal space and searching for his bite, pressing his face into it and melting against him.

“I’ve got you.” Even wrapped his arms tight around Isak’s trembling body.  He knew that some sessions were more intense than others, that some stories that people shared in the group got to Isak, and that sometimes Isak just needed a big cuddle and to not think about anything for a while.  He cupped the back of Isak’s head with one hand and let his fingers tangle up in all those curls, knowing how much Isak liked that.

“Today was a tough one, huh?” Even kissed the top of Isak’s head and sure enough Isak gave a little nod against his collar.  It was an awkward position when they were stood up considering that they were pretty much the same height, but if Isak needed his face pressed into Even’s bite then Even wasn’t going to stop him.

He also knew that Isak would never disrespect the confidentiality of the group and tell him what it was that had upset him – he would only ever give the very minimum detail if he needed to explain why he was upset – so he didn’t bother to ask.

Thankfully they had some time before they had to leave for the hospital, so Even just looked around the room as he rocked Isak gently from side to side.  He had always appreciated the set up for the support group room.  It was a few long sofas, a couple of armchairs, and even a few beanbags, scattered around a room haphazardly.  There were no squeaky metal chairs in a sad circle, which made the room ten times less intimidating in Even’s opinion.

His favourite thing, though, was the weighted blankets.  They had been Isak’s idea: they were comforting and tapped into omegas’ natural instinct to nest.  Even had been so damn proud when Isak came home and told him how successful the blankets had been at putting people at ease.

Apparently it had also encouraged a bit of cuddling up with people on the same sofa – they didn’t have enough money to buy enough weighted blankets for everyone to get their own – but that had just helped with people supporting each other as they shared hard stories.

Isak had had a weighted blanket for a few years now and it had done wonders for him, so Even wasn’t surprised that it had been a big hit at the support group too.  His boy was just so fucking smart.

He felt Isak let out a little sigh against his collar and he looked down awkwardly – there really was no comfortable angle – at him.

“Better?” He checked, brushing his thumb back and forth along the side of Isak’s head.

“Yeah, thank you.” Isak nodded and gave him a quick kiss before stepping back.  “I just need to put everything away and then we can go.” Isak went back to collecting up the leftover food and putting the saveable bits back in the cupboard.  Even – never one who enjoyed being still – went around the room and collected up all the blankets and folded them up ready to go back in the cupboard.

“Do you want a sandwich, Ev?  They’re only going to go in the bin if they don’t get eaten now.” Isak held the tray out to him, wiggling it a little to try to entice Even to take one.  Like it had ever been hard to convince Even to eat something.

“Sure.” He shrugged, inspecting the little square sandwiches to see what his options were.  He ended up taking two – one in each hand – and he gave Isak a cheeky grin.

“Thanks for feeding me.” He grinned before taking a bite out of one of his sandwiches.

“Your legs must be hollow.” Isak rolled his eyes but Even could see the little smile on his lips.

“You’re not any better!” Even protested as Isak grabbed the pile of blankets to take out into the hallway cupboard on their way out.

“Yeah, but I don’t attack food with the gusto that you do.” Isak pointed out as they left the room.  Isak put the blankets back in their rightful shelf and turned back to face Even, daring him to argue.

Unfortunately Even had a huge mouthful of sandwich so he couldn’t say anything.

“My point exactly.” Isak laughed as they buzzed themselves through the security door.  After Isak signed out on the visitor log and said goodbye to the receptionist they were finally free to leave, and Even fell in love all over again watching the way Isak bristled happily at being back in the April sunshine after being cooped up inside.

“How was your session with Anne?” Isak asked after a few minutes of quiet walking while Even finished off his sandwiches.

“Really good.” Even nodded as he licked a stray bit of filling off of his thumb.  “It felt good to just talk it out rather than go round in circles in my head.”

“Good!  I don’t want this to be harder than it needs to be for either of us.” Isak took his hand now that it was free of food and gave it a squeeze.  “Do you have an action plan or anything from your session?  Anything we need to be doing?”

How had Even got so fucking lucky to have a mate who was so open and understanding?

“You’re incredible.” Even shook his head, pulling Isak closer and pressing a kiss to those perfect pink lips.

“I know.” Isak smiled into their kiss and Even’s heart swelled about four sizes.

“I love you.” Even murmured, kissing him again before stepping back so they could keep walking.

“I love you too, even though you tasted like cheese and pickle just then.” Isak teased, bumping their shoulders together.

“True love.” Even laughed.  He unlaced their fingers in favour of slinging an arm around Isak’s waist and pulling him close into his side as they walked.  “But yeah, Anne said that it might be good to adjust the episode plan now you’re pregnant.  Maybe we can just get my parents more involved so you don’t have that stress on your own if I start to slip?” Even suggested as they crossed the last road towards the hospital.

“Sounds good to me.” Isak nodded.  “We can just text them tonight.  I have a ton of work to do when we get home.”

Even loved how easy it was with Isak.  He never made a big deal about Even’s therapy sessions – unless something major was going on – and he was always so chill about Even’s action plans.  It was just one tiny facet on the diamond of their relationship; it wasn’t anything big or flashy but without it their relationship wouldn’t be anywhere near as precious.

Was Even really comparing their relationship to a diamond?  Maybe Isak was right that he was a massive sap.

“Oh, hi, boys.  I’m actually about to go set up the room for you; see you in a minute.” A harried looking Eriksen greeted them just as they were signing in with the receptionist.

“Look, he’s all frantic about seeing you again.” Even whispered as they sat down and watched their doctor rush through the doors.

“Shut up.” Isak shook his head with a laugh.  “He’s probably just running late.  You know what he’s like.”

“Yeah, he’s practically in love with you.” Even agreed.  “That’s why he’s never late for our appointments.”

“No.” Isak groaned immediately.  “You need to let this go, babe.  Besides, even if he _was_ in love with me we all know I’m very much taken.” Isak tapped his bite lightly and Even couldn’t have contained the smug smile if he tried.

“Isak Valtersen, Dr Eriksen will see you now.” The receptionist called over to them and Even checked his watch in surprise.

“Damn, he’s even _early_ for us today!  It’s twenty five past!” Even said as they got up and made their way to the ultrasound room.

“Oh my god, shut _up_.” Isak shook his head in disbelief.  “Do I have to ban you from these appointments?” He threatened.

“You can’t do that!” Even was horrified at even the _thought_ of not being allowed to see Jellybean’s ultrasounds live.

“Then behave yourself.” Isak huffed.

“Fine.” Even pouted.  “I won’t point out the very obvious obsession our doctor has with you any more.  I’ll be the perfect supportive boyfriend.”

“Good, because that’s exactly what I need.” Isak slipped his hand back into Even’s and all joking melted away.

“I’m right here.  Always.” Even gave his hand a squeeze and they finally went inside.

“Afternoon, boys.  How are we all?” Eriksen asked as Even helped Isak up onto the chair.

“I think we’re all good.” Isak looked over at Even for confirmation, unaware of the way his boyfriend’s heart melted in his chest at the sight of him.

“We are.  We’re excited to see Jellybean again.” Even linked his fingers back through Isak’s and rested his chin on the edge of Isak’s chair as he got comfy in his own.

“Most parents are excited.” Eriksen agreed.  “Have you experienced anything difficult or unusual since I last saw you, Isak?”

And just like that they were down to business.  Eriksen asked Isak lots of questions about how he was feeling and if they had been sticking to the updated diet plan, and Even had to bite his lip not to point out that they’d been following Isak’s dietary needs just fine the last few years so it wasn’t like they were going to just throw caution to the wind now that Isak was pregnant.

After what felt like eons of Eriksen interrogating his boyfriend – he knew it was for good reasons, alright, he just didn’t like the guy – it was finally time for the real deal.

Thankfully for Isak Eriksen had decided not to do this scan vaginally and was just going to see what they could see by doing it the usual way.  Even was 90% sure that that decision was based on how visibly nervous Isak had been during the last scan, and he could respect Eriksen for not making Isak go through that a second time.

“I know it’s a while away yet, but have you thought about the birth yet?” Eriksen asked as he got the machine ready.  The _birth?!_   Even had half a mind to snap that they were more focused on just getting to twelve weeks right now than anything else.  What the hell was Eriksen thinking bringing up the birth at their _eight week_ scan?  He knew as well as they did that Isak’s pregnancy was high risk!

“N-not really?” Isak stammered, his hand tightening in Even’s.  “It doesn’t really feel realistic to be thinking that far ahead yet.  There’s still a high chance of miscarriage.” Isak’s scent was getting that metallic stressed out tinge to it and Even was just about ready to punch Eriksen in the face for causing it.

“I understand that, I was just wondering if you had particularly had your heart set on a natural birth.” Eriksen said calmly.  “You know the drill: this is going to be cold, Isak.” He added when he got the gel out.

“I know.” Isak nodded at their doctor before looking back to Even.  For a moment he looked so young and vulnerable that it sucked the air right out of Even’s lungs.  Once his brain snapped out of the shock he brought his hand up to Isak’s cheek and ran his thumb gently across his cheekbone.

“What’s on your mind, angel?” He whispered, looking into Isak’s eyes like he could find the answer in there himself.

“I don’t think I could physically have a natural birth.” The look of shame on Isak’s face was like a knife through Even’s heart.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, baby.” He lifted Isak’s hand up and pressed a kiss to the delicate thin skin on the back.  “It doesn’t matter _how_ this baby comes into the world as long as you and them are both okay.  None of us are traditionalists who think pushing a baby out is the only way an omega should have a baby, so what’s the problem?”

“I just…I hate that I fucked my body up so much.” Isak swallowed and shuffled closer to Even and immediately Even gave Eriksen the _wait_ gesture and let Isak lean over the edge of his chair and hug him.

“You were young and scared, baby.” Even wound his arms tight around Isak’s ribs and covered the side of his mate’s face in soft kisses.  “It’s not the end of the world that we can’t have this baby naturally, okay, I promise.” He nosed gently at one of Isak’s curls that had sprung out over his ear.

“I just wish we had the _choice_ , y’know?” Isak mumbled and Even nodded.

“No one likes having their choices made for them.  Be honest though: do you think you’d have chosen a natural birth over a C-section?” Even had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“Probably not.” Isak laughed – albeit it was a little bit teary – weakly in his ear.  “I suck with pain and effort.”

“So you wouldn’t have wanted to push a baby out _anyway_.  So it’s all good, yeah?” Even really hoped it was.

“I guess.” Isak nodded, pressing his face into Even’s bite quickly.  “Yeah, no, it _is_ okay, I just wasn’t expecting to have to think about this yet.” He whispered as quietly as he could into Even’s skin, but all Even heard was _Eriksen upset me_.

He hugged Isak closer and glared absolute daggers across the chair at Eriksen until Isak finally sniffed and pulled back from their embrace to lie back in his chair.

“Ready to see your baby again?” Eriksen smiled, as if he _hadn’t_ just almost reduced Isak to tears.

“Definitely.” Isak nodded, squeezing Even’s hand so tightly that Even was sure he’d be feeling it for hours after he let go.

“I couldn’t help but hear your talk, and I’d just like to say that a caesarean would be safer for both Isak and the baby in your case.” Eriksen advised as he got the wand out.  “I hadn’t meant to upset either of you by asking.” He added, but it was too little too late as far as Even was concerned.

“Okay, here we go.” Eriksen shifted slightly in his chair before pressing the wand against Isak’s belly, and all three eyes turned to the monitor.  Now Even was gripping Isak’s hand just as tightly, his breath caught in his chest as they waited to see anything come up on the screen.

He hadn’t explicitly asked, but he was pretty sure from the way that Isak had been squirming that he’d done the _not going to the toilet before the scan_ trick again in the hopes of making a clearer picture.

It took probably about a minute of Eriksen moving the wand around before he found what he was looking for, and as the seconds went by the image became a little bit clearer.

“Look!” Isak’s hand somehow held onto him even tighter and Even couldn’t help but wince.  This time it was much clearer that it was a baby they were looking at; they were still shaped like a jellybean, but definitely bigger than last time, and Even was pretty sure he could even make out a little leg.

“Jellybean’s getting big in there.” Even couldn’t even begin to describe the emotion in his chest, but it was making his eyes tear up.

“Your baby is growing about a millimetre a day, so you’ll definitely notice the growth between scans.” Eriksen confirmed, and for once Even didn’t hate him for opening his mouth.  “Everything looks good, boys.  We’ll keep watching closely, but as it stands I don’t have any concerns about Isak or the baby.”

“Fuck.” Isak exhaled shakily and Even snapped his gaze away from the monitor.  Sure enough tears were running down Isak’s cheeks, so Even reached up with his non-crushed hand and wiped them all away.

“Hey, no tears, angel, okay?  You’re okay.  You’re _both_ okay.”

“You’re crying too.” Isak laughed wetly, touching Even’s cheek and showing Even the wetness that had gathered on his fingers.

“Yeah but my tears are for my broken hand.” Even was only half joking, he thought.

“You’re such an idiot.” Isak’s laugh made more tears spill over and Even wiped those away too.

“I am, but I’m the idiot who gets to have a baby with you.” He shrugged.

And that was really all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER WAS SO FUCKING LONG BUT I'M FINALLY FINISHED holy shit first the scene with Even and Anne totally got away from me and then so did the rest of it RIP
> 
> [insp for the 8 week scan](http://images.agoramedia.com/ugcphotoservice/100/2016/1/19/68894336/d6cc99d5-7971-4df1-9dc7-1081789e631a.jpg)
> 
> SO some things to explain because there wasn't really a natural way for me to include it in the actual fic and I'm not gonna bend myself over backwards trying to work it in. Isak's omega channel (AKA his vagina) is very sensitive in the not so good way because of all the years on suppressants stopping it from just opening when it should have, hence why he was so uncomfortable about his transvaginal scan a few chapters ago.
> 
> he can just about deal with a little bit of outer stimulation (i.e. when Even plays with his clit when they're having sex or running his fingers over his lips, etc) but they've never had proper vaginal sex because it's just too uncomfortable for Isak and tbh it's not that comfortable for Even either.
> 
> HOW DID ISAK GET PREGNANT THEN, I can hear you ask. well, Even did the good ol' fashioned "I'm gonna pull out and come all over you" move and made quite the mess and as we all know pulling out is not an effective form of birth control, so Isak got pregnant ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> And yes, at some point I will write the night that Even got Isak pregnant! I'm thinking of turning what it currently "Be Gentle With Him Jellybean" into a fic that's essentially extra bits from this verse that didn't fit into either fic because of timing. I'd probably just call it AUO3 Extras or something. it would have Isak's first heat and the night they got pregnant and any other scenes that you guys would like to see from between AUO3 ending after the boys gave each other their bites, and the epilogue picking up a few years later with the pregnancy reveal. would you guys be into that?
> 
> this was a really long note haha but I love your input and your scene requests! the omega support group scene ended up not being included quite how I thought it would in this chapter (Even came in right at the end when most others had left, so we didn't actually get to see Isak interacting with other omegas) so I will include it in a different Isak POV chapter so we can actually experience the session.
> 
> hmu if there are any scenes (either in this or the Extras) that you'd like to see!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	8. I've never stopped falling in love with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak has a damn good day (almost 3.6k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE MID-WEEK UPLOAD BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN SUPER INSPIRED THIS WEEK BOOM
> 
> special shout out to Birdy for being my constant source of motivation to share this fic ♥ I hope you're having a good week out there!

Isak had woken up in a great mood, which was even more incredible considering that Even still hadn’t got home from a night shoot by the time he was waking up.  Isak had showered quite happily, and he’d honest to god  _whistled_  to himself as he made breakfast.  Because he actually  _made_  breakfast.

Usually Isak was a wreck in the mornings, more so if Even wasn’t there to shuffle him along, but today was a pleasant exception.

He had even woken up with enough time to chill out before he had to leave for the tram, which was unheard of even  _with_  Even.  It was a decidedly good morning and Isak could only attribute it to the sunny morning waiting for him outside.

He was messing around on his phone with the telly on in the background when he heard a key in the lock and caught Even’s familiar scent from the other side of the door.  He didn’t bother to get up – he knew by now that Even would just crumple on their bed when he got in – but he smiled to himself as he heard the door open.  He’d had a great start to the day  _and_  he got to see Even come home before he left for class; today was just coming up Isak.

To his surprise, Even actually came into the living room.  Isak looked up from his phone, eyebrows raised, just in time to see Even flop on the sofa next to him and immediately seek out his bite.

“Hey, baby.” Isak lifted his chin slightly to ease Even’s access and stroked his boyfriend’s hair gently. “You okay?” It really wasn’t like Even to check in after a night shift.

“That was the longest night ever.” Even mumbled into Isak’s throat.  His man felt weary down to his bones in his lap and Isak’s face fell sympathetically.  Even had been upfront about his bipolar from the start of his career, and for the most part his apprenticeship had been really understanding.

Isak knew that Even got considerably less night shoots than other members of his team because of how vital consistent sleep is to his health, but for the sake of fairness he still got a few.  So far every night shift had wiped Even the fuck out, which Isak could totally understand seeing as they were usually trying to sleep by 22/22.30 most nights.

“Aw, that sucks.” Isak dipped his head and smattered kisses all over Even’s head, hoping to revive his spirit a bit before he went to bed.  “Why don’t you go get some sleep?  I’ll be leaving soon anyway.” Isak murmured against his hair.

“No, I wanna stay here with you.” Even pouted, which made Isak smile.

“I know I’m wonderful and I’d love to stay here snuggled up with you too, but you need to get some sleep and I have to get to uni.” Sometimes Isak hated being the voice of reason, but it would do Even no good at all to fall asleep on the sofa.  He was just too long for that to ever work.

“More cuddle, then I’ll move.” Even shook his head and nuzzled more against Isak’s bite.  How could Isak possibly say no to that?

“Okay, baby, but I’m getting you into bed before I leave.  Remember last time you slept on the sofa and Sana had to un-crick your neck?” Isak laughed quietly as he trailed his fingers through Even’s floppy hair.

“Felt like she’d wanted to do it for a while.” Even mumbled with a nod, already half asleep against Isak.

“Ev, baby, seriously,  _don’t_  fall asleep on me.” Isak groaned.  He didn’t have the willpower to leave if Even was going to be that sweet and needy and just fall asleep on him, he just didn’t.

“Comfy.” Was all Even muttered in response, and Isak just knew how it was going to end.

“No, c’mon, hot stuff. Time to move this to bed.” Isak shook his head and stood up, trying not to feel too guilty at the tired whine that Even let out.  He held his arms out as if he was coaxing a baby to take their first steps – which, fuck, maybe he’d actually be doing one day – and wiggled his fingers encouragingly as Even looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

It took a while, but eventually Even lumbered to his feet and allowed himself to be led into bed.  Isak made sure to put his pillow right next to Even for snuggling purposes and he pulled the duvet right up for maximum cosiness, because if he had to leave his bone-tired boyfriend alone when he _clearly_ needed to be cuddled and fussed over then he was damn well going to make sure Even was snug and cosy.

It still didn’t make it any easier to walk out the door when he eventually had to leave, though.  Isak must have nipped back to kiss Even’s temple or his forehead and stroke his hair or tuck the duvet in a bit more a dozen times before he had to give in to the limitations of time and run out for his tram.

All he could think as he grabbed onto the pole and jittered along through his commute was that his day had better keep being so damn good to make it worth leaving Even alone in their bed.

***

Isak couldn’t remember the last time he had been so _on_ at uni.  He had asked questions and challenged lecturers and he had so many good notes to show from his morning classes, and it felt _amazing_.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Jonas asked from across the table, eyeing Isak suspiciously from behind his panini.  That was another thing that had worked out in Isak’s favour today: Jonas’ lunch matched up with his in an almost unheard of stroke of luck.

“I’m…eating my lunch?” Isak wasn’t really sure what Jonas was trying to get at so he just kept shovelling leftover pasta into his mouth like it was going out of style.

“No, I mean, you seem really together today.  And smiley.” Jonas added, as if that was something of note.

“I smile!” Isak protested through a half-chewed mouthful of pasta.

“Yeah, when Even’s around or you’re drunk.  No one just smiles to themselves going around uni like you have today.” Jeez, how closely had Jonas been watching him?  Now Isak felt hyperaware of his face and what look he was projecting on it and it _kind of_ made him want to rip his skin off.

“Not true.” It was weak even to Isak’s ears.

“So what’s going on, man?  You got Even hiding in your back pocket or something?  Or have you showed up to school stoned?” Jonas leaned across the table jokingly as if he was checking Isak’s eyes, and he was close enough that Isak figured he could probably feel the flush that was flaming across his face.

“A guy can’t just have a good day?  Would you rather I was tired and moody all the time like when we were teenagers and I _was_ coming to school all fucked up on painkillers?” Isak knew he was being defensive but Jonas had no idea of the can of worms he was opening.

Isak hated lying to Jonas – part of him had wanted to tell Jonas that he was pregnant to make up for the fact he couldn’t tell his mother yet – but he couldn’t just tell Jonas casually over their lunch that he was pregnant and he hadn’t had any morning sickness yet today and he was almost at nine weeks and having a burst of energy and _that’s_ why he was so smiley.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that!” Now it was Jonas’ turn to protest, his signature eyebrows pulling down in a frown.

“Look, we had a health scare a few weeks ago and we’re almost in the clear now and things are looking good, _that’s_ the big secret, okay?” Isak rolled his eyes.  “I’m just having a good day and I’m enjoying life, alright?  It’s not a big deal.  I’ve been happy for years.”

“I guess.” Jonas was looking at him weirdly again and it was starting to make Isak sweat, and _not_ in the way it might have done when they were teenagers.  “I don’t know, man, something seems different about today’s happiness.  It’s almost like you’re glowing.”

Well.

Shit.

***

By the time Isak got home it was gone 19.00 and he just wanted to expand on some of his notes from the day and then pass the fuck out, but it was obvious from the moment he walked through their front door that Even had something else in mind.

His first clue was the lighting.

When they had first looked at this flat and Even realised it had dimmer lights the poor guy had almost popped a knot then and there and nattered in Isak’s ear the whole way home about how they could have some proper mood lighting for date nights or sex, and tonight Even had set said dimmer lights to a soft glow that would be useless for even the lightest of reading.

The second clue he heard as he tried to listen for Even’s whereabouts.  The only sounds in their happy home were coming from the kitchen; Isak was pretty sure he could hear chopping over Even’s music, and he was ready to go into the kitchen and sneak up on his boyfriend to see what was for dinner when Even – in a blur of movement that Isak could hardly follow – literally _slammed_ the kitchen door shut in his face.

“What-?” Isak took a stunned step back, as if the door would suddenly _un-slam_ itself from a little further back.  Obviously, it did not.  It took Isak almost thirty full seconds to notice the sticky note on the kitchen door, so shocked he was that a door had been slammed in their home despite that being their longest standing no-go, but when he saw Even’s familiar scratchy writing all bad feelings melted away.

 _No peeking.  Go get in your comfiest clothes and chill in the lounge_ _♥_

“You didn’t have to slam the door!” Isak called through the door before he turned on heel and went to their bedroom.  He dumped his bag, all thoughts of coursework forgotten for the moment, and shed his outdoor clothes in favour of a pair of sweats and a big soft jumper that it was probably a little too warm to wear now that April was ticking by but Isak wanted to be snugly tonight and _nothing_ accomplished that better than that jumper.

He grabbed his phone and wandered into the lounge and stopped in his tracks a mere two steps into the room.

Even had pushed the table right up to the back wall, and in the seemingly huge space that had been left in its wake Even had spread out their picnic blanket.  Just like with the kitchen door it took Isak a second to notice the sticky note, but when he did spot it Isak practically leapt onto the blanket to snatch it up.

_Hope you’re comfy, baby.  I won’t be long now_ _♥_

Isak hadn’t _heard_ Even sneak out of the kitchen to leave that note, so he could only assume that this note was another one of Even’s dramatic moments that he was just hoping the timing would work out on.  He decided not to think too much on it – his brain was pretty much caput so late in the evening – and lay down on the blanket in the barely there light that Even had chosen to soak the room in.

It was surprisingly comfortable on their floor.

“ _Isaaaaaaak_.” Even’s sing song voice was the next thing Isak was aware of, and he realised with a confused startle that he must have dozed off.

“Ev-” Isak was surprised by the tearful catch in his voice as he sat up, feeling horribly disorientated, and reached out for his boyfriend.

“Hey, angel, it’s fine, you just fell asleep.  It’s only been like ten minutes since you got in.” Even’s arms were around him and Isak tried to soak in as much of Even’s calming scent as he could while his brain caught up with him.

“Okay, I’m okay.” Isak laughed shakily as he pulled back and rubbed his eyes.  Even gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, stretching his thumb across to swipe over Isak’s bite lightly before he let go.

“You ready to see your surprise?” The excitement was clear on Even’s face: from the great heights his eyebrows had risen to all the way down to his big excited smile.  Hell, even his _nose_ looked excited somehow.

How could Isak not want to see what his boyfriend had obviously been working so hard to set up?

“Yes!  What were you doing in the kitchen oh so secretively, huh?” Isak teased with a playful push, laughing at the yelp that Even let out as he overbalanced where he had been crouched next to him.

“Maybe I won’t let you have it!” Even puffed as he sat back up.

“Oh, you won’t let me _have_ it will you?” Isak bit his lower lip in the way he knew drove Even wild, intentionally twisting up Even’s words into something sexual.

“Oh, baby, you know you’ll always get _that_.” Even winked, springing up to his feet.  “Stay there; I’ll bring it in.” And with that Even rushed back to the kitchen.

Isak was about a second away from googling if it was possible to have _too_ much love in your heart for someone when Even came back in.

And what a sight he made.

He was carrying the big tray that they usually reserved for having people over for dinner so that they could transport food from the kitchen to the living room in one easy trip thanks to Even’s various work experiences at cafes and restaurants.  Isak could carry the tray too, but he preferred to do it with two hands and at about half his normal walking speed, but the job was usually deferred to Even.

Said tray was piled high with food.

“Holy shit, Ev.” Isak’s eyes were like dinner plates as Even plonked the big tray down on the blanket with a flourish before flopping down next to him.

“A feast for the most delicious boy I know.” Even murmured in his ear, ghosting the lightest of kisses over the shell of Isak’s ear and making him shiver.

“Don’t try and sex me up right now, I want to eat!  This all looks incredible, baby.” Isak’s mouth was _actually_ watering.  Even must have been in the kitchen for ages because it felt like there was food for as far as Isak could see.

There were cinnamon thumbs, potato salad, almond cakes, more smørrebrød than Isak could shake a stick at, and at either end of the tray there was a tall glass filled with what Isak guessed was fruit smoothie.

“This is incredible, Even.” Isak turned to look at Even to make sure he understood how totally blown away he was by Even’s gesture.  “What inspired this?” Isak picked up the glass closest to him and took a sip, enjoying the tart sweetness as it washed over his tongue.

“Well, I thought the smoothies were a good way to get lots of vitamins in you while-”

“ _Not_ the smoothies, Ev, just this whole thing.” Isak interrupted.  “Unscheduled date night.” He added when Even still didn’t say anything.

“It sort of got lost amongst Elise’s birthday and your scans and me checking in with Anne, but did you know on April 10th it was three years since we first moved in together?” Even picked up a cinnamon thumb and tossed the whole thing in his mouth while Isak’s brain tried to process that information.

“Three years?” He repeated, getting a nod from Even.  “Holy shit.  It feels like no time at all, but at the same time like I’ve lived with you forever.” Isak hated trying to explain the feeling of time, mostly because he had a vehement dislike for even the _concept_ of time.

“Right?” Even agreed through a mouthful of biscuit.  Isak shuffled closer to Even until he was practically on top of him, trying to work through all of his thoughts.

He couldn’t believe it had been three years since they took that leap.  He was even more surprised that Even still remembered the exact date they had moved in (although when Isak thought about it, it _was_ also the day they had bitten each other so it wasn’t a surprise that Even remembered it being the huge romantic that he was) despite all the madness that their lives had turned into.  He was stunned by all the food; that Even had thought their living together for three years was worthy of such a feast.

Mostly, he was overwhelmed with love for his mate.

“Every time I think I can’t fall more in love with you, you do something to prove me wrong.” Was what Isak said when he finally untangled all his thoughts.  He stretched his neck out just enough to close the little space between them and pressed a sweet berry flavoured kiss against the corner of Even’s mouth.

“I’ve never stopped falling in love with you.” Even smiled back and moved his head, catching Isak’s lips and sharing a soft cinnamon kiss.

“Alright, Mr Romantic, it’s not a competition.” Isak whispered, unable to stop himself from laughing into their kiss.  They broke apart fondly and went back to picking at food from the tray, both of them painfully aware that it was a weeknight and soon they’d have to start thinking about going to bed.

“God, do you remember what a shit hole our first place was?” Even laughed, licking away his little smoothie moustache before Isak could try to kiss it off.

“Could anyone ever forget?” The power of love was the only thing that had got them through living in such a tiny box of flat, Isak was sure of it.  Isak was sure it would have broken weaker couples, but not them.

Not Isak and Even.

That well and truly set the tone for the evening.  They reminisced about their old flat, about how awful it was no matter how much they tried to look on the bright side or decorated it, and all the memories they had made in it.  They even took a second to appreciate their current home; big enough for the two of them and with a big enough living room to be comfortable with lots of guests, which had been commonplace back in their younger days when everyone’s schedules matched up with no problems.

And then Even made Isak cry.

“One day, angel, I’m going to buy us a house to raise our family in.” Isak looked over at him in surprise – they had never really talked about _buying_ anywhere – and all the air in his lungs dried out at the serious look on Even’s face.

“With a big kitchen, so we can teach them how to cook and it can be messy as hell.  And a garden for them to play in.  It doesn’t have to be big; enough for a swing.  We could get your mama to help us plant flowers too so it can be colourful and bright and alive.  We could have a _guest_ room.” Even knew that was something Isak wanted, but Isak was too caught up in all the imagery Even was throwing at him to appreciate his own want being included in Even’s future house.

“And obviously it would have a nice big bedroom so we can get the biggest bed possible.”

“For our huge sexual appetites?” Isak guessed, surprising a laugh out of Even.

“Well, that too.  But I was thinking for if the kids have a nightmare and they wanted to crawl in with us.”

And that was what snapped Isak’s fragile mental state: after a long day at uni, an unexpected doze and its even more unexpected awakening, listening to Even talk about getting a big bed so they could cuddle their baby one day was just too much.

“I’m sorry, shit- that was too much wasn’t it?  We’re still so early and I’m here yapping about a house-” Isak could taste Even’s distress in the air and he hated it.

“You’re going to be the best dad, Even.” Isak would have been embarrassed by the tears rushing hotly down his cheeks if he wasn’t so tired.  He was going to blame it on pregnancy hormones even though he was pretty sure it was too early for those.

“You’re already thinking more about this baby than my dad ever did.” Isak didn’t often talk about his father.  He didn’t often have cause to.  “I’m so fucking glad that you’re the man I’m doing this with.  Someone so full of light and love and, _God_ , I love you.” Isak grabbed Even’s hands in his and hauled himself onto his boyfriend’s lap, bumping their foreheads together.

It made Isak’s emotional wreck tears drip onto Even’s cheeks, but Even didn’t make a single complaint.

“I love you too.  And I love Jellybean.  And I can’t _wait_ to keep spending the rest of our lives living together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS?????????
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	9. You're glowing tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spanning over weeks 8-12, this chapter has a lil bit of everything! (3.5k)

The next few weeks were blissful in how uneventful they were.

***

“Babe, have you seen my- oh.” Isak startled as Even backtracked into their bedroom while he was in the middle of getting dressed, his shirt still halfway over his head.

“What have you lost now?” Isak loved his boyfriend – he really did – but he could never understand Even’s capacity to just _lose_ things.  Isak had a place for everything; sure it might have looked messy to the untrained eye, but he knew where _everything_ was when the time came.

“Pull your shirt back up a second.” Even said instead as he came over to him.

“We don’t have time to mess around, baby, we both have to go in like ten minutes.” Isak laughed, doing his jeans up to prove just how serious he was.

“I could get you off in way less time than that if I wanted to and you know it, but that wasn’t actually what I was talking about.” Even rolled his eyes and pulled Isak over to him by his belt loops.

“Oh wasn’t it?” Isak raised an eyebrow.

“No, it wasn’t.” Even sniffed primly.  “And I’m a little bit offended that you think I’m only ever thinking about sex.” Even couldn’t even manage the whole sentence without his lips twitching desperately to keep the laughter in.

“What did you want me to take my shirt off for then, huh?” Isak draped his arms on Even’s shoulders and fiddled with some of his hair loosely.

“I thought I could see a little bump.” Even was smiling so much, but in the blink of an eye it turned into a look of surprise as Isak jerked back from him.

“What?!  Really?” Isak opened their wardrobe door to use the full length mirror on the inside of the door and yanked the bottom of his shirt up to his diaphragm.  He stood sideways to the mirror and tried to ignore his heart racing as he looked over his reflection.

Sure enough: there was a definite round swell sticking out between his hips.

“Oh my god.” Isak’s throat felt like it was closing up, but not even the thought of possibly suffocating could get him to stop looking between his reflection and the real thing.

“Holy shit…” Even was on his knees in front of him in a heartbeat.  “Can I touch you?” He whispered, not taking his eyes away from Isak’s little bump for even a second.

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” Isak nodded quickly.  He was pretty sure he could feel tears on his cheeks but all of his brain power was focused on that tiny, oh so promising, bump he was sporting.

Even’s hands immediately went to his hips, steadying him in place, and he simply stared at the tiny proof of their miracle.  After maybe a minute of staring he fanned his fingers out against Isak’s skin, and gently brushed his thumbs back and forth against the raised skin.  Isak watched as goosebumps rose in the wake of Even’s touch as he tried to catalogue exactly how he was feeling, but his brain felt totally numb.

He couldn’t believe that Even had noticed his bump and he hadn’t.

He couldn’t believe that he _had_ a bump.  Right there between his hips: the _visible_ proof that their baby was growing inside of him.

“I love you so much.” Even whispered before giving the softest kiss to Isak’s bump.

They were both late that morning, but Isak discovered that numb with happiness was an actual feeling.

He was numb with happiness.

***

“Hey, baby, I’m sorry I was on set and you know what the director is like with phones.” Even apologised as soon as Isak picked up.

“He’s so paranoid.” Isak did indeed know which was why he hadn’t bothered to call Even again when his first try just went straight to voicemail.  He was pretty sure if Even had found his phone with a million missed calls from him he would have had a heart attack, which wouldn’t have helped anyone.

“What were you calling for?” Even asked, letting out a huff of breath as he finally sat down for the first time in what felt like days.

“It was nothing, really.  I just got some really bad morning sickness and I got a bit emotional and I wanted to hear your voice.” Isak admitted lowly, keeping his voice quiet so that no one passing by his little study room in the library could overhear.

“Aw, Is, I’m sorry.  I wish I could have answered.” Isak doodled absently on the edges of his notebook, just letting Even’s voice wash over him.

“I know you would have answered if you could.” Isak reassured him.  “Do you think you could just talk for a while?  I miss you.”

“I won’t be home late tonight, I promise.” Isak could tell that Even was feeling bad about missing his call and he knew Even well enough to know that nothing was going to talk him out of that feeling.

“I’m in the library right now, but I’m not planning to be late home either.” Isak nodded to himself.

“You want me to talk to you while you’re studying?  Isn’t that sort of counterintuitive?” Even asked dubiously.

“I just really need to hear your voice.  You’re on your break, right?” Isak always got like this if he got sick when Even wasn’t with him.  Besides, he had done plenty of revision _before_ Even returned his call.

“I am.” Even confirmed.  And then he did what Even did best.

He soothed all of Isak’s nerves by telling him about his day and things he’d seen on his way to work and random thoughts he had had over the day until his break was over and his voice had gone slightly croaky.

“I have to go now, baby, but I hope you’re feeling better.” Even cleared his throat as the last couple of minutes of his break ticked down.

“I always feel better talking to you.” Isak smiled, even though Even couldn’t see it.  “I love you, Even.  See you at home.”

“I love you too.  See you later, bye!” And with that Even hung up.  Isak took a deep breath as he set his phone down, and for a second he was convinced that he could actually _smell_ Even’s scent.

Without Even’s low soothing voice to concentrate on Isak’s surroundings came back into focus, and he noticed his corner of doodles.

It was all hearts and little jellybeans.

***

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you, fuck, _fuck_ -” Even broke off as Isak tightened his fingers in his hair.

“M’so close.” Isak whined into his boyfriend’s hair.  He had been rocking on Even’s dick for almost a whole hour and he had already come twice, but it still hadn’t soothed the tight feeling inside of him.  It had come out of nowhere – no pun intended – while they had been chilling out after dinner; Isak was just suddenly filled with the need to get Even inside him _right now_.

Telling Even out of nowhere that he needed to be fucked right now or he was going to die might have been a bit dramatic, but Even had pulled Isak onto his lap with a grin and started pulling his clothes off right there on the sofa.

Had Isak mentioned how much he loved his boyfriend?

“Yeah?  Gonna come again for me?” Even panted against his throat before sucking a bruising kiss on Isak’s bite, shocking a moan out of his trembling boyfriend.  Isak pushed his throat harder into Even’s kisses and started rolling his hips again, and Even swore he could taste Isak’s moans as jolted his hips up sporadically to get at Isak’s prostate.

Isak could hear himself moaning and gasping Even’s name, and when Even gave one particularly hard thrust Isak almost fell backwards off of Even’s lap as his body shuddered in delight.  Even was mesmerised by the fact that his lap was soaked with Isak’s slick, but he wasn’t _that_ sex dazed that he’d let Isak fall off.

“Fuck!” Even had grabbed Isak around the waist and watched with wide eyes as Isak pushed his hips down desperately onto his dick while he righted himself.

“Fuck me, baby.” Isak moaned into his ear.

“Think you can come again?  So fucking pretty when you come.” Even planted hot kisses up Isak’s throat, soaking up as much of Isak’s sweet scent as he could.

“Uh huh.” Isak nodded furiously as he sat back up, bracing his hands on Even’s shoulders before resuming his desperate rhythm.  Even made sure to keep a steady hand on Isak’s back this time to stop him from toppling over, and he found his other hand spreading over Isak’s bump and feeling it move as Isak slammed himself down over and over until-

“ _Fuck_ -” Isak’s whole body tightened, his ass clamping down tight around Even’s cock as he came for the third time.  Even felt the way Isak bowed his back to get more pressure against his prostate as he came, but the movement also pushed Isak’s budding bump into Even’s hands.

Embarrassingly, that was what sparked Even’s orgasm.

Isak pressed his face into Even’s bite desperately as he rode out the end of his orgasm, his hips rocking shallowly, and Even tried to get at Isak’s bite as his knot popped but the angle was impossible.

“Oh god.” Isak whimpered into his collar.  “You feel so good.” Even could feel how stuttered Isak’s breathing was getting as he was filled up with come, and it made something primal inside of him preen.

“Fuck, Is, if that’s your hormones going crazy already we might not leave the flat for the rest of this pregnancy.” Even was only half joking.  It was like when Isak’s heats had finally regulated and they realised how mind blowing they could be; their sex had been off the charts in the month that followed Isak’s first good heat.

“I’m game to fuck you on _every_ surface we have.” Isak whispered, biting gently at Even’s ear.

Well, fuck.

Maybe Even _would_ just quit his job.

***

“These things are considerably less fun when we don’t drink.” Isak said to Even as they watched their friends getting considerably drunker.

“Yeah, but when was the last time either of us really got drunk?” Even pointed out after taking a long pull from his can of Coke.

“True.” Isak couldn’t remember the last time either of them really went wild at one of these parties.  They usually went for the company of their friends and had a few drinks before they got all giggly and got booed for their PDA because they were the only long standing couple in their friend groups.

The party had started well enough: they had commuted with the boys and spent the whole time catching up and exchanging stories and emphasising that _no they weren’t drinking tonight_.

Magnus had even commented on Isak’s appearance.

“So much for the struggling student image; Isak looks the healthiest of all of us and he’s a mess.” It had been a compliment, Isak was almost certain.

“It’s true, baby.” Even had pulled Isak smugly into his side and kissed his neck.  “You’re glowing tonight.” He’d whispered, delighting in the way Isak’s cheeks stained tomato red.

The party had gone downhill when they got to the house, though.  All the boys had dispersed to get drunk and hook up – as they tended to do at parties – so now Isak and Even were just sat on the sofa drinking Coke and making up back stories for the people they saw around them.

“My Coke’s all gone.  Do you want another one before we go home?” Isak offered as he got to his feet.

“I can get it.” Even offered but when he saw the pointed look on Isak’s face he stopped trying to stand up.  “Or I could let you very kindly go get me one while you get yours.” He conceded and Isak nodded.

“You could.  Back in a second.” He ducked down and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss before heading into the kitchen.  He went straight to the fridge and tugged two more cans out of the packaging before elbowing the door shut on his way out of the kitchen.  He was almost back in the lounge when some brick shithouse of a guy stepped in front of him.

“Isak, right?” The guy checked, which totally took Isak by surprise.

“Uh, yes.  Do I know you?” He peered at the guy’s face but house party lighting wasn’t exactly illuminating so he couldn’t make much out.

“I’ve seen you around campus a few times.  You’re hot.” The guy leaned against the wall in what Isak was sure he thought was a cool and casual move but Isak could see the tension he was holding in his arms.

“Thanks.  I also have a boyfriend who I love, so nothing is going to happen here.” Isak gestured between the two of them, the cans of Coke getting slippery in his hands as they started to get wet with condensation.

“I never see you with anyone like that.” Brick Shithouse frowned.

“I have his bite right there, dude.” Isak pointed to his own throat with a roll of his eyes.  “I’m taken.  _Very_ taken.  I don’t even _know_ you.  So I’m going to go back to my boyfriend now.” Isak started to move around him but the way BS snorted made him pause.

“What the fuck does a bite mean to me?  I’m a sapien; that’s different with you guys, right?” Isak was starting to hear how drunk this guy was.

“Uh, no?  Why would you being a sapien make any difference to how committed my boyfriend and I are?”

“Isn’t it only if you sleep with another _hom-ex_ that you get all fucked up?” BS sneered at the term _hom-ex_ and Isak’s blood reached boiling point.

“I love my boyfriend, end of.” Isak could feel his heartbeat behind his eyeballs.  How could this guy be such a fucking _moron_?  Isak went around him furiously and was just at the doorway to the lounge when he felt a hand around his arm.

He didn’t even think.  He smacked his free hand – and the can of Coke – into the guy’s ear and darted out of reach as it disorientated him.  He took another step away, directly into a familiar smelling body.

“Even!” He smiled, although he could feel his hands shaking worse than usual.  “I think we should go home.  Too many gross idiots here.” Isak looked back at Brick Shithouse, who was clutching his surely ringing ear and leaning against the wall glaring absolute daggers at Isak.

“Crazy bitch!” The guy bit out, and Isak could smell the adrenaline that flooded Even next to him milliseconds before Even started moving towards the moron.

“It’s not worth it, baby, he doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know.” Isak shook his head and touched Even’s arm gently.  “Let’s just go home and lie in bed.  We- we’ve got jellybeans, remember?” Isak hoped Even understood the code, and from the way Even seemed to calm down Isak guessed that he did.

“You’re right.” Even turned his back on the guy Isak had boxed the ear of.

They left the party at that point, figuring they could catch up with their friends at a later date, and went home.  They spent the rest of the evening in bed.  All of their clothes save for their boxers were discarded on the floor and they spooned under the duvet.

Even traced the veins of Isak’s arms, convinced that they were more visible than usual, with the lightest of touches and followed the map of Isak’s veins until his hands were resting protectively over Isak’s bump.

“You and Jellybean make it all worth while, Is.” Even murmured into his neck as he started to nod off.

Isak couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night.

***

“I’m so excited!” Isak was giddy with happiness as he got up onto the chair for the ultrasound.

“Me too.” Even was all smiles, had been since he woke Isak up a few days ago by smothering him with kisses and whispering _happy twelve weeks_ into his skin.  The rest of Norway was out celebrating May 17 th, but Isak and Even were totally caught up in the excitement of finally reaching twelve weeks.

Isak was three months pregnant.  Unless he was in the unfortunate 1-2% then the chance of him losing this baby was almost totally over.

“How have you been since I lost saw you both?” Eriksen asked as he got himself comfortable next to Isak.

“I’ve been okay, mostly.” Isak nodded.  “I’m still getting sick a couple of times most days though.”

“Most people find that that stops after 13 weeks, if that helps.” Eriksen smiled and if he hadn’t already been sat down Isak might have been floored by the immense sense of relief that hit him.

“Is there anything else that’s been bothering you?” Eriksen prompted when Isak didn’t say anything.

“Not really.” Isak shook his head.

“Everything’s been really good.” Even agreed, holding Isak’s hands in his.  “We’re just so happy to have got this far.” He removed one hand from Isak’s and covered Isak’s little bump with it.  He knew that in a minute Eriksen would ask him to move so he could spread the gel onto Isak’s belly, but he loved feeling the very real growth of their baby under his palm.

“Most couples feel that way at their twelve week scan.” Eriksen agreed.

 _Not every couple has as much reason to worry as we do_ , Isak thought, but he didn’t want to be negative today.  He wanted to keep basking in his and Even’s bubble of happiness for as long as possible.

“You boys ready to see your baby at three months?” Eriksen asked when it became clear that neither boy had any pressing issues.

“So ready.” Isak gripped onto Even’s hand and covered the hand on his bump, not ready to lose the comforting feeling of Even’s big hand protecting his belly.

“We should be able to hear the heartbeat today too, right?” Even’s voice was so hopeful.  Isak knew that this was something Even had been looking forward to since their first scan, so he really hoped they’d be able to hear it today.

“Most people can hear something at twelve weeks, so we’ll see what we can hear.” Eriksen said as he put his gloves on and got the gel out.  “Ready, Isak?”

“Ready.” Isak confirmed, tightening his grip on Even’s hand.

“Sorry, boys, you’re going to have to move your hands if we want to get anywhere.” Eriksen was trying not to smile, Isak could see it.  After one last deep breath and rub of his bump they both moved their hands and Isak shivered as the gel was smeared on.

“It’s happening!” Isak whispered to Even.  Their heads were close together and their hands were clasped as they watched the monitor with bated breath.

“Everything looks right.” Eriksen was looking closely at the image as he moved the wand around slowly.

“You know Jellybean has fingers and toes now?” Isak whispered excitedly to Even, but when he tore his gaze away from the monitor he realised that Even’s jaw had actually dropped.

“Jellybean actually looks like a little human.” Even whispered in awe.

“Yeah, they’re not a jellybean any more.” Isak laughed, his eyes getting undoubtedly wet at the realisation that they had _really_ made it.

“Would you like to hear the heartbeat?” Eriksen brought their little moment to an end and two heads swivelled back in his direction.

“Yes!” They said in unison, tightening their hold on each other’s hands.  They watched with wide eyes, both of them barely breathing, as Eriksen got the Doppler stethoscope out and set it up.  Isak sucked a sharp short breath in as the tip of the stethoscope touched his belly and after a few seconds the most incredible sound filled the room.

“Oh my god.” Isak’s heart felt fuller than it ever had listening to the strong beat of his baby’s heart.  The sound filled the room, echoing off the walls, and it shifted something inside of Isak.

He would do anything he had to for his baby.  He suddenly understood how parents could lift cars off their trapped children, because Isak felt like he could flip a mountain over if he had to.  He would abandon all morals if he had to choose between his child and something supposedly right or wrong.

Nothing was more important than that heartbeat.

He had never wished more than he did right then that the cheap cliché alpha/omega books were right and he could read Even’s mind.  He looked over at his mate to see if Even was as changed by their baby’s heartbeat as he was.

Tears were running down Even’s cheeks faster than Isak could keep up with, and it was only then that Isak realised how tight Even was holding his hand.  He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind – regardless of not being able to actually read Even’s mind – that they were in complete agreement.

 _Nothing_ was more important than that heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??????????
> 
> [12 week scan](http://www.edspire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/BABY_12.jpg)
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	10. (EVEN) Want a cuddle buddy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A selection of scenes from the week after their 12 week scan! (2.3k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two uploads in two days?! who am I 

Even woke up to the sound of Isak being sick in the bathroom and he let out a sad sigh into his pillow.  They had a big day ahead and he knew how much Isak hated starting a day by puking.

Isak was still retching when Even made it into the bathroom – neither of them were particularly fast when they had just woken up – and the air carried the salty scent of tears.

“It’ll be over soon, Is.” Even hoped his reminder came across as comforting and not annoying, and he rubbed Isak’s hot back in slow circles.

“I want it to be over _now_.” Isak choked out, spitting the last of the bile out before flushing the toilet.  “I _hate_ it.” He sniffled, and Even’s heart ached.

“I know you do.  It’s a horrible feeling.” Even could count on one hand the number of times in his life _he_ had vomited but he vividly remembered how horrendous he had felt each time even now.

“When was the last time _you_ puked?” Isak snapped, glaring at Even as he struggled to his feet.  “I’m the one who’s been puking almost every day at the most _inconvenient_ time.” Isak struggled for a second with the cap of his toothpaste before he practically threw it down on the side of the sink and brushed his teeth aggressively.

“You’re right.” Even wasn’t going to risk pissing Isak off any more than he already had by trying to smooth his mistake over.  They had both known that Isak was going to get moody while he was pregnant; Even was prepared to take everything with a pinch of salt and just try not to prolong any incidents.

“Now that my mouth doesn’t taste like shit I’m going back to bed.  We’ve got ages until we’re going out.” Isak put his toothbrush back in the cabinet angrily and stomped back to their bedroom, and even though he knew his boy was grumpy as hell Even couldn’t help but appreciate how cute he looked in his boxers and his rumpled _slut for science_ shirt.

“Want a cuddle buddy?” Even called after him, bracing himself for Isak to tell him to fuck off.

“Yes!” Isak called back, just as grumpy as before.  Even couldn’t help his surprised laugh; he hoped that Isak hadn’t heard it because he had a feeling that it wouldn’t have been appreciated.

“Get in here and make me forget that you’re the reason I’ve been puking non-stop for three months.” Isak grumbled when Even stopped in the doorway of their room, lifting the duvet up.  Even couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t possibly spark Isak’s annoyance, so he just crawled into bed and spooned Isak protectively.

It was already second nature the way one hand spread over Isak’s bump, protecting their little miracle even while they slept.

***

“I can’t believe we finally get to tell her!” Isak was holding his hand almost painfully tightly as they walked from the tram stop.

“How do you think she’ll react?” Even swung their hands lazily, basking in the sunshine.  Summer was well and truly on the way.

“I think she’ll be worried – about my health, y’know? – but mostly excited.” Isak predicted.  “She knows it’s something we’ve both really wanted.” He added with a glance.

“She’s always been so supportive.” Even loved Marianne; apart from the odd episode now and then she had been nothing but supportive of their decisions.  She had been their rock after they had first bitten each other and Even’s parents almost blew a gasket.

“Yeah, she’s the best.” Isak was smiling so wide that it was making Even’s cheeks ache in sympathy.  Not that he was complaining; he loved seeing Isak so happy.  The extra sleep after being sleep seemed to have cheered Isak up; he was almost _skipping_ to lunch with Marianne.

“She’d have to be the best to have raised someone like you.” Even tugged Isak right into his side and peppered a few kisses along his neck as they walked before letting his blushing squirming boyfriend pull back.

“Don’t, Ev, you know how quick I get turned on now.” Isak was blushing so brightly that he could have guided lost ships back to shore and it was without a doubt the cutest thing that Even had ever seen.

“Okay, okay, no kisses in public now you’re so delicate.” He held his hands up innocently.

“Yeah.” Isak agreed, although from the look on his face you’d think that he had just agreed to let Even stomp on his kitten’s head.  That look was quickly replaced with wide eyed excitement when Isak spotted Marianne through the window of the restaurant.

“Look, she’s already there!” Isak gasped, darting towards the door and dragging Even behind him.  “Come on, Even!  It’s been killing me talking to her and _not_ telling her.” Isak said as they hauled ass into the restaurant.

Didn’t Even know it?

Isak hadn’t actually _seen_ his mother in person since before they found out; he had been limiting their conversations to phone calls and texts with the excuse that uni was really busy.  Even thought it was overkill, but Isak was _convinced_ that Marianne would know as soon as she saw him and he wasn’t prepared to risk that before they reached the safety of 12 weeks.

“Mama!” Isak rushed away from Even directly into Marianne’s open arms, and Even’s heart melted watching them.  Marianne hugged Isak in that all encompassing way that only a mother could hug and he could see how Isak melted into it.

Even wondered sometimes if there was a parallel universe Isak who _didn’t_ have that bond with his mother.  It was easy to see how their story could have gone so differently: Isak just a little more scared by Marianne, the health services not quite so quick to help, Isak fleeing but crucially _not_ looking back.

He hoped that Isak was okay, because Even had no idea how _his_ Isak would be without Marianne’s love and support.

“It’s so good to see you.  Now let me look at you.” Marianne gave Isak one more squeeze before stepping back.  She braced her hands on Isak’s shoulders and checked him over with a serious look on her face.

Isak shot Even a look that could only be described as paranoid and Even slid an arm around his waist easily and kissed his cheek, trying to radiate calming vibes for his antsy mate.

“Isak…” Marianne finally looked back to her son’s face and Even felt his heart stop.  “Do you have something to tell me?” She raised an eyebrow.

 _No way_.  Even’s heart picked back up at full speed, hammering wildly in his chest.

“We’re pregnant!” Isak whisper-shouted excitedly, happiness radiating from every inch of his beautiful face.  Even was aware of Marianne gasping an _I knew it_ in front of them but not even a meteor striking the earth could have made him look away from Isak’s face at that moment.

That was pretty much how Even spent their whole lunch: staring at Isak in a total love-daze while Marianne asked Isak 1001 excited questions.

Even couldn’t think of a better way to spend a sunny afternoon.

***

He had been on set for almost 15 hours and he was beyond ready to crawl into bed.  Getting home late had never been his favourite thing and the feeling had only amplified since they’d found out Isak was pregnant.

It was almost 22.00, so Isak was probably getting into bed while Even was stuck in the back of his taxi trying not to fall asleep.  He fiddled around on his phone half-heartedly until they finally pulled up in front of his building and he was oh so close to collapsing in bed with the sweetest boy in the world.

He paid the driver and said a quick thank you before practically sprinting inside and up the stairs.  They had a lift, but it just wasn’t fast enough for Even when he felt like this.  He almost snapped his key shoving it in the door so forcefully but he managed to get inside without fucking up their lock.

“Babe?” He called, pushing their door shut with a quiet click and toeing his shoes off.

“Hey!” Isak’s voice came from the bedroom, followed by the distinct sound of papers and books being moved.  Even just about remembered to hang his coat up before hurrying into their room, desperate to see the love of his life again.  Isak had still been asleep when he left that morning, so apart from a few texts over his break they had hardly talked.

Even needed his dose of Isak, dammit!

“What happened to the ‘no studying in bed’ rule, huh?” Even asked as he leaned against the doorframe surveying the scene.  Their duvet was covered in Isak’s library books and notes and mind maps that were so crammed with writing that it gave Even a headache just to look at, and under all of that Isak was trying to wiggle free without disturbing what Even was sure was a carefully organised system of studying.

When Isak managed to free himself and stand up, it all happened very quickly.

“I just wanted to be- in bed…” Isak’s face clouded with confusion and Even suddenly felt wide awake watching how Isak’s face suddenly went white.  Isak swayed on his feet, his hand shooting back towards the bed to try to steady himself but only succeeding in knocking one of his open books onto the floor with a thud.

The noise snapped Even out of his daze and he crossed the room and gathered Isak up in his arms.

“Are you okay?” Even couldn’t remember the last time his heart had beat this hard.  Isak felt weak and shaky against him and all thoughts of Isak’s studying system went out of the window.  Even threw their duvet back and manoeuvred Isak back into bed carefully, ignoring the way Isak’s books clattered to the floor and his papers fluttered.

“I just got really dizzy.” Isak mumbled, his shaky fingers clutching at Even’s sleeve.

“You scared the shit out of me.” Even’s voice was shaking nearly as much as his hands and he hated showing how rattled he was to Isak.  They had both agreed a long time ago that they shouldn’t hide their feelings from each other, but Even always felt awful being honest when Isak was sick.

Not that Isak was sick, he told himself firmly.  It was just dizziness.

“Wasn’t much fun for me either.” Isak joked faintly.

“Do you want some water?” Even offered, stroking curls away from Isak’s forehead.  His baby felt cold and shaky under his fingers, but Even was pretty sure he was okay.

“Please.” Isak whispered.

“Anything for you.” Even reminded him, brushing a kiss over his forehead before he went into the kitchen and poured him a glass of water from their jug in the fridge.  He even put it in Isak’s favourite mug in the hopes of cheering him up.

When he got back to their room, however, it became apparent that it was going to take more than Isak’s favourite mug to help.

Isak was curled up in a ball under the duvet in a trembling little lump and the room reeked to high heaven of distressed omega, which cut Even right to the bone.

“Oh, Is.” He sighed.  He set Isak’s water down and quickly gathered all of Isak’s homework up and piled it on the floor at the foot of the bed, because he knew that it would bother Isak to leave his hard work scattered all over their room and there wasn’t a chance in hell that Even was letting his boy out of bed before it was time to get up in the morning after that fainting spell.  He also knew that once he got into that bed there wasn’t anything that would get _him_ out of it and away from Isak.

Once everything was out of the way he shucked his clothes off until he was down to his boxers and he got into bed with his clearly shaken mate.  Isak was on him in a heartbeat; shuffling across to where Even was lying before Even could close the offending gap himself.  Isak situated himself almost entirely on top of Even, forcing Even to stay lying on his back rather than curling up around Isak like he preferred, and pushed his face into Even’s bite.

“I’ve got you.” He whispered into Isak’s curls, cupping the back of Isak’s head and scratching his scalp slowly.  Isak didn’t say anything in return, he just stayed clinging onto Even like he was going to die if he let go.

They had both done a lot of research on pregnancy so Even was sure that Isak knew as well as he did that dizziness was normal, but it had clearly spooked Isak to nearly fall over.  The last thing Isak needed after a scare was to get all stuck inside his own head, so Even just started talking.

He talked absolute nonsense, but it seemed to work.  Slowly but surely Isak stopped shaking on top of him and his breathing evened out, falling asleep before Even could actually catch up with his boyfriend about how his day had been.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Jellybean.” Even whispered, moving the hand that wasn’t tangled up in Isak’s soft curls to rub his little bump.

“Your daddy’s gone through a lot; don’t be too rough on him.” Even had no idea why he was bargaining with their baby, but he just hated seeing Isak scared.  “He’s so happy to have you in there, even if you _do_ give him a lot of horrible side effects.  I think he knows it’ll all be worth it in the end when we get to meet you, though.” Even whispered as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake Isak now that he had settled.

“Maybe just ease up on him a little, huh, Jellybean?  Show daddy that you love him too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Isak's favourite mug](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e5/8b/97/e58b97c77b3b3c95c2e85ed5cf6afba3.png)
> 
> so because it happened naturally twice the format of this fic is going to be two Isak chapters and then an Even chapter! I'm going to be starting to pepper in the scenes you guys have been requesting, so keep your eyes peeled! remember to hmu if you think of something you'd like to see in this fic and I'll add it to my list!
> 
> hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it ♥
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	11. Our first funny pregnancy story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak talks to his course leader, gets his first cravings, and the boys have a heart to heart ♥ (3.3k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE OMG EVERY TIME I THOUGHT I COULD FINISH IT I ENDED UP NEEDING SLEEP MORE BUT HERE IT IS

Isak (11.48 through to 11.57)

_it’s almost my turn to see Ina_

_you probably aren’t on break yet but I just wanted to tell you_

_I’m so fucking nervous Ev what if she gets all disappointed with my decision and I have to try to defend my decision to her?_

_also I realised I never actually talked my plan out with you about me staying home with Jellybean (fuck you I can’t believe that nickname stuck btw)_

_we should probably talk it out tonight so we can be on the same page_ _♥_

_oh god the person before me has just come out I’m going to be going in any minute now_

_oh shitting hell I wish your boss wasn’t such a paranoid artiste so you could have your phone at work like a normal person and TEXT ME BACK_

_oh hell it’s my turn if you don’t hear from me again it’s because I’ve crumbled into ash under the disapproval of my course leader_

_you can have all my stuff if I die in this meeting, love you x_

***

The tremor in Isak’s hands was so bad by the time Ina was calling his name that he almost dropped his phone three times while trying to push it into his back pocket.  He was shaking like a crack addict, as Magnus would so tactfully say.

“What can I do for you today, Isak?” Ina was friendly enough as he walked into her office – on legs that were _also_ shaking – and sat down opposite her desk, but his heart was still galloping in his chest like a racehorse after its last chance at freedom.

“I’m pregnant.” Isak regretted blurting it out so stupidly _as_ the words were coming out of his mouth.

“Okay.” Ina looked at him with a mixed look of expectation and confusion.

“I- I mean, I’m pregnant, and I want to talk to you about how I can work around it.” Isak tried again.

“I had a look at your records; you’re a consistently hard working student and you seem very dedicated to your grades.  None of the professors who have worked closely with you have had a bad word to say.  It would be a shame to lose you, and for _you_ to leave the course before you have any qualification.” Ina just saying that made Isak’s stomach hurt.

He had worked _so_ hard to get onto his course and he had kept up that hard work from day one; the thought of walking away with nothing to show for it genuinely made him want to cry.

“I love my classes, and I love the extra research opportunities I’ve been allowed to be part of.  I have no intention of just _dropping_ it.” Isak shook his head, but he found himself worming his hand under the hem of his shirt so he could feel his bump.

“What were you thinking?”

“I want to finish this year.” Isak said firmly.  “The year finishes in June and that’s only a month away; there’s no reason for me to not finish.” _Unless something goes really fucking wrong_.

“If you don’t mind me asking: how far are you?” That wasn’t the question Isak was expecting her to ask, and his well practiced script of this conversation melted from his brain in a puddle of baby hormones.

“Just gone three months.” Isak smiled, rubbing his bump fondly under his shirt.  “So it’s not like I got pregnant at the start of the year and was going to have to go to classes at seven and a half months or anything.  Most people probably won’t even know I’m pregnant when we break up for summer.”

“And after summer?” Ina raised her eyebrows.

“I was wondering if it was possible to defer my place for a year?” Isak’s palms were prickling with sweat and he was _too_ aware of his pulse points, but there was no way he could stop that nervousness.  This was his crucial question.  If he couldn’t defer his place then everything fell apart; he would have to choose between dropping out of his course with no qualification to show for it, or slogging through university heavily pregnant and then with a newborn to go home to.

Was he a bad parent to not know for sure which one he would choose if he had to?

“Deferring your place sounds like a very wise decision.” Ina nodded, and muscles that Isak’s hadn’t even noticed he was clenching started to relax.

“We can do that then?”

“We can do that.” Ina confirmed, giving him an encouraging smile.

And just like that: Isak’s mind was at peace.

***

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (13.58)

_if you turned to ash I’d get you compressed into one of those diamonds and I’d continue to show you off to people and keep you close to me forever_

_if you HAVEN’T been reduced to ash then I’ll see you at dinner and you can tell me all about your meeting_ _♥_

Isak (14.06)

_being a diamond sounds rad you have my permission to do that_

_see you at dinner_ _♥_

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (14.07)

_who uses the word ‘rad’ any more?_

Isak (14.07)

_all the cool kids_

_probably why you don’t know ;)_

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (14.08)

_I can’t believe you just did that to me_

_what happened to true love? </3_

Isak (14.10)

_just wasn’t rad enough I guess_

_;)_

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (14.11)

_can’t believe you’re the person I’m starting a family with smh_

Isak (14.11)

_I can’t believe it either_ _♥_

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (14.13)

♥

***

Isak was sound asleep when Even finally came home.  He had no sense of how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep on the sofa, but he was suddenly aware of two arms hooking beneath him and scooping him off.

“Ev?” He slurred, more asleep than not.

“I’m sorry I’m so late, baby, we ran over.” Even whispered as he carried Isak to their room and deposited him gently onto the bed.

“I know.” Isak mumbled, burying his face into Even’s pillow tiredly.

“Did you eat?” Even stroked his fingers gently through Isak’s hair and he could feel it putting him to sleep.

“Slept.” Isak said on a long sigh.  He hadn’t intended on sleeping through dinner; thankfully he hadn’t left anything cooking on the stove that could have caught fire.

“Do you want something?” Even offered, stilling his hand in Isak’s curls.

“Grapes.” Isak’s answer was instant, and a surprise to both Even and himself.

“Grapes?” Even repeated.  “For dinner?” It sounded ridiculous, but now that Isak had said it he realised that he actually really wanted grapes.

Like, _really_ wanted them.

“Purple ones.” He specified.  “Lots of them.  And juice.” The more he thought about it the less sleepy he felt.

“Am I feeding a 20 year old or a 2 year old?” Even teased.

And apparently at whatever-o’clock-at night after a long day that was the wrong thing to say.

“You asked what I wanted!” Isak hated that there were actually _tears_ filling his eyes.  “All I want is purple grapes and apple and mango juice!  And maybe some fries from McDonalds too!  I’m pregnant and I’m tired and _you_ woke me up asking about food-” Isak was getting hysterical, and the small part of his brain that wasn’t dying for fruit and fries was _mortified_.

He really hadn’t expected pregnancy hormones to be so intense.  How the hell were they going to survive six more months of this?

“You’re right, you’re right.” Even held his hands up, but Isak missed his touch immediately.  “You’re pregnant and tired and weird cravings are totally normal; I shouldn’t have joked.”

“It’s not weird.” Isak sulked, wrapping the duvet tighter around himself.

“Purple grapes and fries from Maccies?  Not your usual cuisine of choice.” Even was right, but Isak was too stubborn to agree so he lay there in silence instead.

“Guess I’d better go get my baby some food.” Even said when it became apparent that Isak had nothing else to say.  “I’ll be back soon.” He kissed Isak’s cheek – somehow finding it in the dark – before heading back out.

When he thought back on it later, Isak couldn’t quite explain his logic behind what he did next.  All he knew was that he was half asleep and he was grumpy at Even for making fun of the food that he needed.

So Isak – still in his duvet burrito – locked the bedroom door from the inside before curling up in bed and letting himself doze.

He was somewhere between asleep and awake, in a pleasant hazy place with no concept of time, when he heard the door handle rattle and Even’s worried voice come from the other side.

“Isak?!”

“Food?” Isak called back, sleep slurring his speech.

“I’ve got your food; you need to let me in!” Even was still trying the door handle, which Isak thought was a bit silly.

“Prove it.” He huffed as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

“How can I do that if you’ve locked me out of the bedroom?” Even sounded frustrated, but he raised a valid point.  Isak hadn’t really thought his petty revenge plan through very well.

“You can…” He dragged those two words out as he looked around for inspiration.  He was almost convinced that he would have to give up when he remembered his phone on the bedside table, and just like that he was back in the game.  “Snapchat me!  You can snap me a picture of the food, if it wasn’t too _childish_ for you to get.” Isak sniffed.

“You want me to snap you from the other side of the door?” Even asked incredulously.

“Yes!”

“And then you’ll let me in?”

“ _Yes_!”

“Okay, hang on.” He sighed.  Isak could hear a lot of rustling and the distinctive _pat pat pat_ of someone using a touch screen, and a few seconds later his own phone screen was lighting up.

True to his word Even had sent him a snap: he was leaning against the bedroom door and holding their reusable shopping bag up.  Isak was just about to point out that that didn’t prove he had bought the food when a second snap came through, this time showing the inside of the bag and all its goodies.

Isak went back to the door and flicked the lock back, and immediately his boyfriend was barrelling inside.  Even was looking all over the room like he expected something to be on fire, which Isak thought was a bit rude.

“Food?” Isak held his hand out for the bag innocently, grinning like an idiot when Even dropped the bag onto the bed.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Even shook his head and Isak just raised an eyebrow at him as he chugged half of the carton of juice.

“You’re lucky I’m carrying your baby.” Isak panted when he finally put the carton down.

“I really am.” Even agreed, his gaze softening.

The look of affection was quickly replaced by confusion and what Isak interpreted as mild disgust as Even watched him alternate between grapes and fries until both were gone and he was left with nothing but empty wrappers and a full belly.

“Wow.” Was all Even had to say.

“Thanks for getting it all.” Isak yawned, his blood pressure starting to drop now he had eaten.

“You know I’d do anything for you.” Even must have seen how sleepy Isak was getting, because he got rid of all the rubbish and helped Isak shimmy back down under the duvet.  He even tucked Isak in, taking a moment to push his fingers through Isak’s curls before kissing his forehead.

Isak fell asleep before he could say that he would do anything for Even too.

***

“Only a day late!” Even joked the next evening when they were sat down together for dinner.

“Not our worst set back.” Isak grinned back.

“I dunno, I feel like I aged a lot last night.” For a second Isak thought he was being serious, but when he looked up at Even he was smiling.

“Shut up.” He laughed, relieved that Even wasn’t actually mad at him for his late night madness over food.

“Our first funny pregnancy story!” Even pretended to wipe away a proud tear.

“Dork.” Isak shook his head, but he couldn’t help smiling at Even’s antics.  Honestly he was just glad that Even was taking it all in his stride, because Isak was definitely overwhelmed by the influx of hormones.

Thankfully they lapsed into silence after that, both of them too hungry to try to have a serious talk _while_ they ate, and Isak tried not to guess what Even was going to say when they _did_ have their talk.  He had learned a long time ago that there was no point trying to anticipate Even, because Even’s mind just worked on a totally different plane of reality to Isak’s.

He loved it though.  He loved that Even could still surprise him and make him think of things differently.

Not that Isak was in much of a position for thinking by the time he finished his dinner.

“I’m so full.” He moaned pathetically from where he was lying on the floor.

“Same.” Even groaned from his chair, sprawled out uncomfortably.

“Why did we have to make such good food?” Isak was pretty sure he was going to explode.  “How are we meant to have a serious grown up talk like this?”

“Well we can’t keep putting it off.” Isak had to agree with that.

“Okay, I’ll go first.” Isak said as he started rubbing slow clockwise circles on his belly to try to help his digestion.  “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about taking some time off from my degree, but I really want to be with the baby.  I don’t want to try to juggle them and half ass them both.” He explained slowly, convinced that if he spoke at normal speed he’d be sick.

“I’m not mad that you didn’t talk to me about it.” From the corner of his eye Isak could see Even shaking his head.  “I guess I’m a little bit sad that you just came out with that whole plan when we told my parents we’re pregnant before we’d even talked about that stuff together, but you’ve always been a planner.  It was stupid of me to think that you wouldn’t have started thinking about that stuff as soon as we decided to keep Jellybean.  You’ve always been the realistic one to my dilly-daydream.”

Something inside of Isak deflated a little at that.  He had heard stuff like that his whole life.  He was such a realist, he was too logical, he was always planning and never just _enjoying_.  Part of him blamed it on the autism, but he was pretty sure his mess of a childhood had a part to play too.

“Is?  You okay over there?” Even’s voice snapped him out of his funk and he tried to swallow down the lump of sadness in his throat.

“It’s not like I’m not excited.  I just don’t want to have no plan and then have to deal with all that stress when I’m _really_ pregnant.  Why is that a bad thing?  I just want to be ready.” Isak was horrified to realise that his eyes were getting wet and he tried to blink them away quickly before Even noticed.

He was just so fed up with his way of showing excitement not being considered on par with everyone else’s.

“Shit!” Apparently Even had noticed Isak’s tears from across the room.  “I didn’t mean to make it sound like I don’t think you’re excited, I’m sorry.  I _know_ how much you want our baby.  I didn’t mean it to sound like a _bad_ thing that you had your plan straight away.  Hell, it’s actually amazing that you were able to be that on ball.  It’s been months and I _still_ don’t have a plan.” Even admitted.

“You don’t?” Isak wiped his eyes and turned his head to look at Even.

“No.” Even shook his head.  “This apprenticeship finishes at the beginning of December, and if my maths is right then Jellybean’s due date probably won’t be until later in December.”

“Sounds right.” Isak nodded.  “Well…would you want to take paternity leave or anything?  I don’t really know what sort of state I’ll be in near the end of the pregnancy.” Isak was going to be off from June; he was going to have _months_ of time to just be pregnant, but the thought of being alone when he was getting really big unsettled him.

“I don’t know if I could leave you alone for that long when you’re _really_ pregnant.  I’ll talk to my supervisor about my options.”

“Just dropping to maybe part time for the last six weeks of the project would be really helpful.” Isak admitted.  “It would give us that little bit extra time together and you’d still get to see the job through.”

“That sounds perfect.  You’re so smart, baby.” Isak smiled at that.

“One of us has to be the brains of the operation.” Isak joked as he finally sat up from his mild food coma on the floor.

“I’m sorry it sounded like I thought you being responsible and thoughtful were bad things.” Even apologised again and Isak looked over at him.

“Thanks.  I guess I’m just a bit more sensitive about that stuff now.” Isak rubbed his bump affectionately and he could _feel_ Even melt across the room.  “Come here.” Isak instructed as he moved onto the sofa.

Even was there in a second flat and Isak lay across his boyfriend’s lap.

“I’ll try to remember to be more sensitive.” Even promised, his hand immediately moving under Isak’s shirt to cover his bump.  “Nothing is more important to me than you and this baby, Is.  _Nothing_.” He emphasised.

“I feel exactly the same.” Isak smiled up at him.

“We’ll always have that in common then.” Even smiled back down at him.

“Damn right.” Isak couldn’t imagine anything being more important to him than this.

“Is there anything else we should talk about?” Even asked after a few minutes of lying together peacefully.

“Um…I was wondering if you’d thought about how soon after the baby as born you’d want to go back to work?” Isak felt bad for even asking it, but he just needed to know.  The more information he had about their future the calmer he felt about it all.

“I definitely have not thought that far ahead.” Even laughed.  “But I think it would depend on how everything went, y’know?  If you and the baby were both healthy, then I’d probably start looking for work again after six months?  You’re not the only one who wants some time to just be a parent.”

Isak had never heard sweeter words.

“And if things aren’t so good?” Isak had to ask.

“Then work would be the last thing on my mind.” Even’s answer was instant.  “If something does happen then I’m going to be by your side with Jellybean until we were all _way_ out the woods.”

“Thank you.” Isak whispered, reaching up and resting his hand over Even’s bite gently.  “I just had to know for sure.”

“Either way we’ll be okay for money.” Even pointed out.  “I got all that money when my granddad died and we’ve hardly touched it, and I’m earning good money now, and you’ve got all that money from when you used to work that’s still in our savings.”

“And our parents are both practically drooling to give us money to help out with the baby.” Isak laughed quietly and Even snorted.

“They’re such keen grandparents.” He agreed.  “We’re damn lucky.  I don’t think we need to worry.”

“I think you’re right.” Isak nodded, stroking his bite on Even’s collar slowly and watching Even’s eyes close in contentment.

They really were blessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of you have requested Isak getting cravings, and this is just the beginning!
> 
> THOUGHTS?????
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	12. You promise Jellybean isn’t totally obvious?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys tell their friends that they're pregnant, and it gets them thinking about what Jellybean might be like (3.4k)

It had taken a ridiculous amount of planning and calendar checking in the group chat, but they had finally figured out a date and time that worked for everyone to come over to the flat.  They had pitched it as food and video games and catching up with each other for the first time in ages – and it was true that they wanted that – but today was going to be the day they told their friends that they were pregnant.

And Isak was a mess of emotions about it.  He couldn’t tell if he was more excited or terrified, but either way he was a jittery wreck.  It didn’t help that it was way earlier on a Saturday than he would usually be willing to be awake, but a 10AM start had been the only time that worked for everyone.

Isak had been awake since 6; more out of anxiety than needing to be awake early to get ready.  The boys had showered together – mostly because Isak was too nervous to be away from Even for too long – and tossed some snacks and drinks onto the coffee table in the lounge and that was about all the setting up they had needed to do.

So now they were waiting.

It was almost 9, and despite having over an hour to go Isak was jittery with nerves.

“You know what?” Even was looking at him so intently that Isak was half convinced he was going to have little burns from where Even’s laser beam focus had been on him.

“What?” Isak shuffled tersely, trying to get comfortable on the sofa.

“I think your bump’s got bigger.” Even observed, which simultaneously lit Isak’s heart up with happiness and filled him with more anxiety.

“Why would you say that to me _now_?  Before we’re about to tell our friends that we’re pregnant?!  Fuck, why are we even doing this, Ev?  We should have just told them in the group chat and they could figure it out next time they saw me because this bump is _not_ conspicuous even under your clothes-”

“Whoa, baby, slow down.” Even laughed, catching both of Isak’s wrists and holding them in his lap to stop his wild gesturing.  “Your bump is definitely not noticeable under that massive shirt, so none of our friends are just going to _guess_ when they walk in.  And we didn’t tell them over text because this is a big deal and we wanted to share this with them.” Even reminded him as he slowly stroked over Isak’s racing pulse points.

“You promise Jellybean isn’t totally obvious?” Isak pouted.

“Is, you’re wearing the shirt I accidentally ordered in XL.  You could have a beach ball under there and literally no one would know.” Even was grinning at him and Isak felt some of the tensions trickle out of him.

“It is massive.” He agreed, bringing his hands out of Even’s grasp and pulling what felt like miles of fabric up until his bump was exposed.

“See!  Jellybean was perfectly hidden under there.” Even slid off the sofa and knelt in front of Isak, peppering his bump with kisses.

“Even…” Isak whispered, aiming for a warning tone but missing completely.

“You need to relax, baby.” Even murmured against his skin, making sure to kiss each and every one of Isak’s stretch marks.  “Let me look after you.” Even brushed his lips over the sensitive skin beneath Isak’s bump that trailed down into his boxers and Isak’s breath got stuck in his lungs.

“But- but people will be here soon.” Isak tried to be rational, but he was already half hard and his protests sounded half hearted even to his own ears.

“It’s just after 9.  None of our friends are going to be _this_ early.” Even snorted, his mirth sending vibrations straight through Isak’s sensitive skin.

“You swear you’ll be finished in time?” Isak didn’t even feel bad about how quickly his resolve crumbled under Even’s kisses; he just let his hips push into Even’s face.

“Of course.” Even winked before returning his full attention to making Isak relax.  Isak couldn’t keep still as Even tugged his joggers down and trailed hot hungry kisses down his abdomen until he was within kissing distance of Isak’s desperately hard dick.  He could already feel himself starting to get wet, and he was about to shove his fingers into Even’s hair to try to get his boyfriend on his dick when a completely new sensation had him sitting bolt up right.

“Oh my god!” Isak almost cracked heads with Even as he doubled over in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Even moved back onto the sofa next to him instantly, his hand a reassuring weight against Isak’s back.

“Th-they moved!  I felt Jellybean move!” Isak was gasping for breath, his brain scrabbling to try to make sense of the sudden change in direction.  Literally seconds ago he had been trying to get his dick in Even’s mouth and now sex was the furthest thing from his mind.

“What?!” Isak turned his head and was blessed to see the huge grin on Even’s face.  “They moved?  That’s so fucking cool!” Even looked delighted.

“It felt so weird, oh my god.” Isak was still trying to catch his breath but he sat up slowly, letting Even guide him into a cuddle.

“I can’t even imagine.” Even shook his head, resting his cheek against Isak’s hair and dropping a hand down to his bump.  “It sucks that I won’t be able to feel it for ages.” Isak was pretty sure his boyfriend was pouting.

“I’m only 15 weeks, Ev, you’re just gonna have to wait.  There’s not much we can do about it.” Isak patted Even’s hand comfortingly.

“Promise you’ll tell me _every_ time Jellybean moves until I can feel it too?”

“That’s like eight weeks away!” Isak protested.

He regretted his phrasing immediately, because he could _feel_ Even deflate.

“No, wait.” Isak shook his head and sat up so he could look at Even.  “That came out wrong, I’m sorry.” Why did Isak always stick his damn foot in it?

“What I meant was the baby’s probably going to start moving a lot in those eight weeks.  Won’t you get bored if I keep telling you that something you can’t feel is happening?” Isak wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

“Isak, _nothing_ about our baby is boring.  They’re a fucking miracle; they aren’t even here yet and I want to know everything about them.” Even sounded so earnest that it almost broke Isak’s heart.

“Of course I’ll tell you when they move.” Isak whispered, embarrassed by how much Even’s devotion to their baby was getting to him.  He was about to say something about how he hoped Jellybean got his lazy streak so Isak’s body wouldn’t get _too_ battered, when the baby moved again and Isak’s breathing hitched.

“They did it again, didn’t they?!” Even was grinning like a fool, rubbing Isak’s belly lovingly.

“They did.” Isak laughed breathlessly, putting his hand on top of Even’s.

“How does it feel?” Even asked curiously and Isak tried to think of how to describe something he had only briefly felt twice.

“Sort of…like butterflies?” Was the best he could think of.

“Amazing.” Even whispered, and it hit Isak all over again that he really was pregnant.  He was really carrying a little life around inside him.

“It is.” Isak agreed, trying to blink away tears.

“Come here.” Even pulled Isak onto his lap and Isak snuggled as close as he could get.  There was no possible angle for him to get to Even’s bite, so he buried his face in boyfriend’s hair instead and soaked up the soothing smell of Even’s shampoo and the underlying scent of Even.

They stayed huddled together like that on the sofa until their doorbell rings, forcibly reminding them that they couldn’t stay in their little bubble forever.

“Ready?” Isak mumbled into Even’s hair, pressing a kiss there before sliding off of Even’s lap.

“With you I’m ready for anything.” Even stood up and slung an arm around Isak’s waist, trying to avoid touching Isak’s bump under his shirt and giving the game away as soon as they opened the door.

They let their first guests in together, which ended up being Magnus, Jonas and Eva, and Mutta, and they fell into the usual flow.  They went through to the lounge and people immediately started tearing into the snacks and helping themselves to drinks as they made guesses about who would be next to arrive.

It didn’t take long for Mahdi to arrive, and not long after him Sana came in with Yousef and Elias on either side of her.

“Anyone who comes after us is late, because it’s officially ten o’clock!” She announced as she made herself at home next to Eva.

“It’s just Adam and Mikael left now.” Even glanced down at his watch.  “Knowing them they probably missed the bus or the tram or however they’re getting here today.”

That comment set the conversation up for the almost twenty minutes it took for the last two of their friends to join them: everyone was exchanging their most ridiculous Adam and Mikael stories, and when that well ran dry they moved onto their own stupid reasons for being late.

“You two took your time!” Magnus exclaimed when Isak brought them through from the doorway.

“Yeah, what can we say, we just weren’t sure you losers were worth our Saturday morning.” Mikael shrugged, laughing at the half a dozen offended noises his comment raised.

“Well, you know where the door is.” Isak shrugged casually.  “But you’ll miss the announcement if you do.” He plopped himself down on Even’s lap contentedly, and it took him a minute to realise that now everyone was staring at him.

“Announcement?” Eva repeated.

“Oh shit, are you two getting married?!” Magnus all but squealed.

“No, Magnus, we’re not getting married.” Isak could feel Even rolling his eyes.  He knew marriage was a bit of a sore spot for Even.

“Spit it out then!” Elias was making a _hurry up_ gesture with his hands.

“Do you want to tell them?” Isak glanced over at Even, regretting not planning this moment out better.

“How about we tell them together?” Even suggested.

Together.

Isak liked the sound of that.

“Okay everyone.” Isak took a deep breath, looking back at Even to ground himself for a moment before speaking the words he never thought he’d be able to say.

“We’re pregnant!” Isak and Even said together, both of their smiles almost too big to contain.

For a second the room was unbearably silent, and then-

“I _knew_ it!” Jonas hollered, clapping his hands together.  He was on his feet in seconds flat and pulling Isak into a hug filled with more emotion than Isak knew what to do with.

“Congratulations, man.” Jonas whispered, smacking a big kiss on the side of Isak’s head before letting him go.

“Th-thank you.” Isak was slightly taken aback by Jonas’ claim to have already known, but he appreciated his best friend’s show of support.

After that it was like the most intense Q&A session of Isak’s life.

_How did you know?_

_How far along are you?_

_Is it a boy or a girl?  Are you going to find out or keep it a surprise?_

_How did this even happen?_

_Are you excited?_

_So THAT’S why you didn’t come out with us for May 17 th!_

_Have you told your parents?_

_Is there a bump yet?  Can we see it?!  Is that why Isak’s wearing that ridiculous top?_

_Are you going to find a new place?_

_Have you seen them yet?_

_How does it feel having a baby growing inside of you?_

_Are you still going to uni?_

_Have you thought about names yet?_

_Is it going to be a Valtersen or a Næsheim?_

_How are you going to afford a baby?_

By the time he and Even had answered most of their friends’ questions and shown off their scan pictures it was time for people to start leaving for their other obligations of the day, and honestly Isak was kind of relieved.

He had always been more of an introvert; he didn’t thrive off of big group socialising like Even did, and he had done so much talking and been hugged so many times and felt so rife with emotion, and he was ready to crawl back into bed by the time it was just him and Even seeing Sana out.

“Congratulations again, Isak.” Sana was giving him such a big smile that Isak perked up a little.  Big Sana smiles were a rare gift.  “No one deserves a baby more than you and Even.  The _three_ of you will be in my prayers.” She smiled, and that was it for Isak.

“Oh- _oh_.  I didn’t mean to make you cry!” Sana looked over at Even in alarm and Isak hid himself behind Even so he could try to wipe his eyes.

“It doesn’t take much these days; don’t worry about it.  They’re happy tears.” Even reassured her.

“I really am so happy for you both.” Sana said again.  “Enjoy the rest of your day.  Be safe.”

“Bye, Sana.  I’ll see you on Monday.” Isak re-emerged from behind his boyfriend to wave Sana off properly and she smiled up at him.

“Bye, Isak.  Bye, Even.  Thank you for having us.” And with that Sana gave a little wave, spun on her heels and started down the stairs.

Even closed the door with a soft click, and they stood in their hallway for a second.  After having a dozen people crammed together for hours the normal noise level of their flat felt deafening now.

“Are you as drained as I am?” Isak groaned, rubbing at his face tiredly.

“No, but I’m not four months pregnant.” Even shrugged.  “Bed?” He suggested.

“Bed sounds perfect.” Isak almost swooned at the thought.  They left the mess in the lounge to deal with later and went straight through to their room.  Isak shed the ridiculous oversized top in favour of something comfier and more familiar – it was one of Even’s hoodies okay – before making himself comfortable in bed with Even.

They both opted for lying on their sides facing each other under the duvet.  It was one of Isak’s favourite ways to spend time with his mate, and had been since they were teenagers.

“I hope they have your eyes.” Even murmured, stretching his hand out and brushing his fingertips across Isak’s cheek.  The rough pads of Even’s fingertips felt like a shocking contrast to the delicate skin beneath Isak’s eyes, but Even was as gentle as ever.

“Green?” Isak raised his eyebrow slightly.  “What’s so special about green eyes?  And they’ve got those flecks of colour in, so people never really know what colour to say they are.  Vilde used to say I had _hazel_ eyes.”

“I like that about them.” Even shrugged.  “It’s almost like a kaleidoscope.  Sometimes they look sort of gold and it just…takes my fucking breath away.”

“ _Gold_?” Isak couldn’t stop the way his nose crinkled.  “You’ve been reading too much traditionalist omega porn.” He shook his head.

“I would never!” Even _sounded_ outraged, but the blush that rushed up his face said otherwise.

“Oh my god, you _have_!  You’ve read alpha/omega porn!” Isak crowed.

“A long time ago.” Even looked like he wanted their bed to just swallow him whole.  “I was fourteen and curious.”

“And…what did you think?”

“It was the worst written thing ever.  Real life’s much hotter.” Even winked as he skimmed a hand over Isak’s waist.  Ever since Isak had started to show that he was carrying a baby Even hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of Isak’s waist and his hips.  It reminded Isak of when he finally filled out as an omega and Even had been all over him.

It was kind of nice to recreate that time in their relationship.  It was made even better by the fact that now Isak’s body was changing because he was giving Even a _baby_ , not just because he was going through puberty wildly late.

“Well, I hope our baby doesn’t end up with your taste in stories.” Isak teased, grinning at the way Even’s blush dialled back up to 100%.

“Fuck off.” Even pushed at him playfully, giving Isak the perfect opportunity to catch Even’s hand.

“I hope they get your talented hands.  I can’t make anything creative for shit and we all know it.  I want them to get some of their daddy’s talent.” Isak pressed kisses to each of Even’s fingertips and then to the hard callous on Even’s middle finger from years of working with pens and pencils and paintbrushes.

“Yeah?  You hoping for the next van Gogh in there?” Even placed his other hand over the swell of Isak’s bump, and Isak practically melted under the touch.

“I just think it’s good for the soul to have a creative outlet.” He sighed as Even let his hand rest against Isak’s cheek.  Warmth was spreading through him from where Even’s big hand was practically _covering_ his bump, and he had a feeling he was going to miss moments like these when his bump got too big for Even’s hand to cover entirely.

“It has helped in the past.” Even agreed.  “You know what I want them to get from you _most_ of all, though?”

“How could I resist such a teasing question?” Isak rolled his eyes, but he definitely wanted to know.

“I hope they get this little mole of yours.  This one right here.” Even whispered as he moved his hand from Isak’s cheek to stroke the tiny blemish over soulmate’s lip.

“My _mole_ , are you s-” Isak’s incredulity was cut short by Even swiftly closing the space between them and pressing his lips to the little mole.

“Deadly serious.” Even murmured against the corner of Isak’s lip.

“But it’s just an annoying little lump of skin.” Isak’s voice of reason was slightly muffled by the proximity of Even’s lips but he hoped his boyfriend was listening.

“No.” Even shook his head just slightly.  “It’s adorable.  It’s like even the universe couldn’t resist kissing those lips of yours and you got this little mark to show for it.” Even hummed between kisses.

“You’re so ridiculous-”

“Baby, _trust_ me: that little mole is the most kissable part of you.  I could write songs, poetry, about that little mole.” Isak could _feel_ Even smiling against his skin and it warmed his heart.

“I had no idea you loved my mole so much.” Isak was trying hard not to smile but he could already feel it failing.

“I do.  I love it _so_ much.” And with that, Even began what Isak could only describe as an assault of kisses.  With one hand still spread wide across Isak’s bump, Even leaned in close and smothered kisses over Isak’s mole and across his lips.  They were sweet chaste kisses and Isak couldn’t help but chase them hopefully.

“ _Ev_ ,” He whined after several unsuccessful attempts to catch his soulmate’s kisses.

“No, these kisses are solely for that mole so it knows how loved it is.” Even’s thumb began stroking across his bump in no particular rhythm, and between that and all the kisses Isak felt like he was in pampered omega heaven.

“What about _me_?” Isak whined.  “The guy _behind_ your apparent mole fetish?”

“Mmm…” Even hummed contentedly as he continued smattering kisses around Isak’s lips.  “I guess I love you too, angel.” And with that he increased his kisses tenfold: spanning Isak’s lips, his chin, his cheeks, his nose, and all the way down his neck until he got to Isak’s claiming bite.

“You love me or you love my mole?” Isak pouted, but he tipped his head up to give Even the access he wanted.

“You.  Definitely you.” Even nodded.  “The whole package; not just your poetry-worthy mole.”

“I guess that’s an acceptable answer.” Isak couldn’t help how his eyelids fluttered shut as Even pressed soft kisses over his bite.  “I just have one question, though?” Isak managed to ask through the flood of pleasure chemicals his brain was releasing.

“What’s that?” Even indulged him as he nosed at Isak’s bite.

“How come it wasn’t my _big brain_ that you wanted our baby to inherit the most, huh?” Isak pulled back and gave Even his best reprimanding stare.  It must have been good, because Even froze like a rabbit in headlights.

“Uh…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the mole appreciation was requested by Mari and I wrote it a while ago, but I thought it was appropriate for the end of this chapter!
> 
> THOUGHTS???
> 
> this chapter went up and down a little; it actually took me all day to write, but I've been kinda sad so who knows how coherant or enjoyable to read this will be. I hope it's okay.
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	13. (EVEN) Too happy to be real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even helps knock his baby out, and they finally tell Elise (3.7k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write; real life kicked the shit out of me for a while and I got wicked writer's block with the first scene RIP

Even was trying so hard to hold onto sleep, but something in his dream felt off and he could feel his brains starting to wake up to figure out exactly what.  He rolled over searching for Isak’s comforting scent, only to find that something was amiss there too.  Where Isak usually smelt sweet with a hint of muskiness, all Even could smell as he tried to settle in his sleep was something harshly metallic.

In fact: almost all of his senses were giving him information that didn’t match up at all with Isak.  With a confused groan Even forced his tired eyes open and tried to figure out what was going on.

The first thing he realised was that Isak wasn’t _actually_ in bed with him, and that was enough to make him sit up and turn the light on.

And then he noticed the blood.

His was on his feet and shouting for his boyfriend before he even fully processed the mess smeared all over Isak’s pillow case, frantic to find Isak and make sure he was alright.

“In the lounge.” Came Isak’s defeated response, and Even shot through the flat like a bat out of hell.

“What’s happened?  Why didn’t you wake me if you were bleeding?!” Even smacked his hand against the light switch and both he and Isak’s eyes cringed against the burst of light.

“It’s just a nosebleed.” Isak’s voice was muffled by the tissue he had wadded up beneath his nostrils, and Even could see a few discarded tissues on their coffee table in varying degrees of bloodiness.

“ _Just_ a nosebleed.” Even scoffed as he sat down on the sofa with Isak.  “There’s nothing _just_ about the amount of blood I just found in our bed.  Your pillowcase is like a crime scene.” Even moved Isak’s current tissue aside gently to check his nose.  He knew that Isak was more than capable of dealing with a nosebleed by himself, but Even just had to see for himself that Isak really _was_ fine.

“Not the first time I’ve had a nosebleed.” Isak mumbled and Even glanced up from his boyfriend’s red stained nose to look at the rest of his face.

Isak looked _exhausted_.

“Have you slept at all tonight?” Even frowned, cupping Isak’s cheek.

“No.” Isak shook his head tearfully.  “I’m really tired, Ev, but I just couldn’t fall asleep and then my nose went so I just gave up and came out here.” Isak gave his nose one last dab with the tissue before throwing it with the others on the table and leaning into Even’s chest tiredly.

“I just want to sleep.” Even felt tears dribbling into his shirt and it broke his heart.  Isak’s insomnia had been a frequent visitor in their relationship, but it never got easier to see Isak overtired and emotional.

“Let’s go lie down, baby, there’s still time for you to get some sleep.” Even rubbed Isak’s back slowly, surprised when his boy tensed up under his hand.

“I’m just going to end up lying there in the dark again while you’re asleep.” Isak shook his head and stepped away from him.  “It’s not fair!  I just want to go to _sleep_.” Even could tell that his boy was one more word away from actually stomping his foot, but thankfully he knew exactly how to handle him.

“You know what always puts you right to sleep?” Even grabbed another tissue from the box and pulled Isak back towards him.

“What?” Isak fidgeted on the spot, jerking his head back a little as Even wiped a spit-damp finger under his nose to shift the last stubborn remnants of blood from Isak’s washed out skin.

“A really good orgasm.” Even said, dropping the tissue onto the table with the rest.

Isak seemed to perk up a little at the word orgasm, but he still looked understandably sorry for himself.

“What do you want, baby?  Totally your shout.” Even promised as he guided Isak back to the bedroom, hitting the lights off in the lounge as they walked out.  Isak was quiet as they shuffled back into the bedroom and turned a lamp on, sniffling quietly as he got back under the covers.

Even tugged the pillowcase off of Isak’s pillow and tossed it across the room, not wanting Isak’s lying back in his own blood, as he waited for Isak’s answer.  He was almost about to ask if Isak would rather just try to sleep when Isak finally piped up.

“Can you just finger me for a while?” He sniffed, rubbing at his nose gingerly.

“I think I can manage that.” Even nodded as he slid into bed next to his worn out mate.  He rolled on top of Isak – just for a few seconds – to share a kiss as soft as Isak clearly needed before he slid down the bed.  He even remembered to grab lube from the drawer so that Isak didn’t have to think about if he was slick and wet enough for Even’s fingers, which he only did when Isak was at the end of his rope.

Isak was wearing one of his older shirts like he usually did to bed, but Even’s mouth fell open when he pushed it up out of his way and found Isak completely bare underneath it.

“You getting hot at night, Is?” Even could barely get his words out between smothering the creases of Isak’s hips with hot kisses.  He knew he was meant to be relaxing his boyfriend but at the unexpected vision of all that bare skin Even couldn’t help but kiss it.  Isak just whined pitifully in response and Even forced himself to slow down as he kissed down Isak’s faint fair happy trail.

This wasn’t about him; it was about putting Isak to sleep.

He propped Isak’s legs open gently and settled himself between them, rubbing up and down Isak’s thighs slowly until they relaxed around him.  The _snick_ of the lube bottle opening seemed incredibly loud in the quiet of their room but Even tried not to think about it and just got to work making his fingers nice and wet and warm.

He watched hungrily as Isak’s dick started perking up and he started getting wet and twitchy, and after indulging himself and licking up some of Isak’s slick he had no hesitation about slowly pushing a finger all the way in.  Immediately Isak pressed into the contact, letting out the weakest little whines Even had ever had the pleasure to hear, and as Even started slowly massaging Isak’s walls he could feel his boy melt into the mattress.

Isak’s legs were totally slack where they were draped down Even’s back and the weight was oddly comforting, even if it did mean that his own hard on was being forced against the mattress.

“There we go.” Even soothed, pushing another finger into Isak’s welcoming wet hole and slowly pulling them both almost all the way out before sliding them back in.  Between the lube and Isak’s slick the slide was almost unbearably wet; Even was actually relieved Isak had requested fingering over fucking, because he didn’t think he could have stopped himself from blowing his knot in seconds flat in all that wetness.  He was just about managing to keep it together as it was, and he was only two fingers deep.

Surprisingly: he was able to stay slow and steady pushing into his baby and rubbing all the tension out of him from the inside out.  He dropped soft kisses over the stretch marks on Isak’s hips as his third finger slid in alongside the others with ease, and he crooked the three of them gently to rub at Isak’s prostate.  Isak shuddered on top of him and Even’s heart flipped at the broken little moans that accompanied the shaking.

“Shh, I’ve got you.” Even whispered, running his nose up Isak’s straining cock until he could kiss the sticky wet tip.  “Relax, angel.” Even licked the saltiness off of his lips, and the tip of his tongue just barely brushed along Isak’s flushed head and the sound Isak made almost had Even popping a knot.

“Stop teasing me, Ev.” Isak whined, his words slurring.  “I wanna sleep.” Isak reminded him and Even arched an eyebrow.

“You want me to hurry up?” He had thought slow and steady and relaxing was the best way to get Isak to sleep, but maybe prolonging the part where Isak actually got to fall asleep wasn’t his best idea when Isak had classes the next day.  It was only his half day, but still.

“Please.” Isak whimpered, his hips shifting restlessly.

“Okay, baby, okay.” Even promised.  With his new game plan in mind Even pushed a fourth finger into Isak’s dripping hole and immediately angled them towards Isak’s prostate.

If Even hadn’t known Isak’s body inside and out he would have known he’d found that delicious little bundle of nerves from the way Isak’s whole body seized up: his back arched and his thighs clamped tight against Even’s head and his fingers suddenly found their way into Even’s already messy hair and clung on like he’d die if he let go.

Even showed absolutely no mercy to Isak’s prostate: alternating between tight rubs and harsh pushes until it felt like their whole bed was soaked with slick and Isak was keening so loudly that Even _knew_ their neighbours would be giving them the death glares for the next week.

Isak’s hips were undulating frantically, unsure whether he wanted to get away from or push back into all the stimulation Even was giving him, and Even couldn’t resist capturing Isak’s bobbing dick in his mouth.

Isak went _ballistic_.

He was pulling on Even’s hair and forcing Even to swallow down all of his dick, his hips bucking wildly, and Even couldn’t remember the last time Isak had been so unabashedly loud while they had sex.  He was moaning Even’s name repeatedly like it was the only word he knew anymore and Even amped his efforts up, moving his fingers faster and relaxing his throat for Isak to fuck into until his boy finally came.

First came Isak’s dick jerking _hard_ down his throat, closely followed by an unholy amount of slick running down his fingers and his hand as Isak’s hole clenched violently around his fingers in the hopes of securing a knot, and last of all was Isak’s breathless moans as he rode Even’s fingers until the bitter end of his orgasm.

When Isak eventually went limp and Even was able to move again – because _damn_ his baby had some strong thighs after all his time at the gym – he popped off of Isak’s dick, making sure to lick it all clean as it softened before moving up Isak’s limp body to give him a kiss.

“Thank you.” Isak mumbled into his mouth, his eyelids fluttering closed.

The last thing Even thought as he rolled next to his boyfriend and tucked Isak’s face close to his bite – he knew Isak felt more rested if he slept pressed into that bite – was that he was going to have to throw his boxers and their whole set of sheets into the wash as _soon_ as they woke up.

***

Even (14.26)

_I’m outside main building in the car, see you soon_ _♥_

Angel Face (14.33)

_coming now!!_

Even (14.33)

_no rush, Ellie doesn’t finish until 15.30 x_

Even shoved his phone back in his pocket and crossed his arms lazily over the steering wheel, tapping out a random rhythm as he kept his eyes peeled for Isak.  Somehow, though, Isak managed to sneak up on him and Even didn’t see him until Isak was throwing the passenger door open and throwing himself into the seat.

“Sorry I’m late!” Isak sounded out of breath and Even frowned over at him as he started the car.

“Did you _run_ here?”

“I was late!” Isak was definitely panting as he put his seatbelt on, but Even got completely distracted by the way Isak’s movement pulled the hem of his shirt up and revealed the curve of his bump.  It still looked like Isak could just be gaining weight, and Even was secretly very much relieved that his boy wasn’t walking around campus with an obvious bump.  He didn’t want people trying to rub his boyfriend’s belly for luck or some shit like that.

“I told you there was no rush!” Even pointed out when he remembered what they had been talking about.

“It’s been too long since we’ve seen your sister.” Isak changed the subject as Even pulled out of his space and started the journey to Elise’s school.  “Are you as excited as I am to tell her?” Isak’s knee was jigging up and down at a speed no human eye – exquis or sapien – could possibly keep up with.

“I love that _you’re_ so excited to tell her.” Even couldn’t stop the smile from taking over his face.  “But yeah, I’m excited too.  I can’t wait to hear what she says.” He figured that Elise would be excited, but apart from that he had _no_ idea what sort of conversation they were going to be getting themselves into.

“What time are your parents going to be back?” Isak checked as he shuffled in his seat to get comfortable.

“Probably around eight?  They’ll want to see Ellie before she goes to bed and neither of them are really night owls any more.”

“That’ll be us soon.” The scent of omega happiness filled the car so quickly that Even had to open his window to avoid going into a total alpha haze.

“What will be us?” He tried to suck in a good clean lungful of air before looking back at Isak.

“Not being night owls any more.  We won’t be up late with the baby apart from night feeds really.  We’re going to turn into early birds.” Even was pretty sure Isak had never been so happy about being awake early, but he supposed that their miracle baby was a damn good reason to get up in the morning.

“Never thought I’d see the day where Isak Valtersen was happy to be an early bird.” Even teased, reaching over to ruffle Isak’s hair as he stopped for the red light.

“I’m so happy, Ev, it doesn’t even feel real.” Isak’s answer was so unexpectedly honest that it momentarily stole the breath from Even’s lungs and made his heart swell.

_Too happy to be real._

Wasn’t that a feeling?

***

“Even!  Isak!” Ellie squealed with delight when she saw them at the gates.  She ran straight for Isak, and Even watched fondly as Isak swept her up in a hug effortlessly.

“Hey, Ellie-belly!  It’s so good to see you!” Isak pressed a kiss to the top of Elise’s head before setting her down and taking her hand.

“Are we having a sleepover tonight?!” Elise asked as they went to the car park, even though Even _knew_ that his parents had explained to Elise that tonight wasn’t a sleepover.

“Not tonight, bubba, maybe when you and me are both finished for summer we can have a proper sleepover?” Isak offered, which seemed to mollify Elise.

“Why do you have the car?” Elise frowned up at Even as he unlocked it.

“Because I picked Isak up from his school before we came to get you!  Is that okay?” Even laughed and Elise nodded, climbing into the backseat and putting her seatbelt on.  Even glanced at the back window of the car and tried not to smirk to himself that Isak hadn’t noticed it yet.

“What are we having for dinner?” Elise asked as Even and Isak got into their seats.

“Your mama told us that there was lots of leftover pasta, so we’re going to heat it all up and see how much we can eat.” Isak’s words felt like a challenge and Even felt himself break out in a sweat thinking about how much pasta they were surely about to gorge themselves on.

“And we have something exciting to tell you tonight too.” Isak added, giving Ellie a big grin over his shoulder.

Immediately Elise tried to guess what they were going to tell her.  Her guessing dominated the conversation all the way home, and she only gave up when Even sent her to go do some of her homework while they heated up dinner.

“That was intense.” Isak laughed, resting his head on Even’s chest for a minute.

“I can’t believe she guessed that we were going to take her on a beach holiday.  Why on earth would we do that??” Even shook his head in disbelief, although he was a little bit relieved that Elise hadn’t _actually_ guessed their announcement and taken the magic out of their big reveal.

“How are we going to hold off until after dinner?  She’s going to come back downstairs and start guessing again.” Isak laughed, nosing at Even’s bite contentedly.

“We could just…tell her before dinner?  Save her from wearing herself out any more?” Even suggested.  Truth be told: he just wanted to tell his little sister.  He hated that they had had to keep it from her as long as they already had.

“Okay.” Isak nodded.  “Let’s do it now, that’s a good idea.”

“Really?” Even grinned, hugging Isak closer.

“Definitely.  I’m really dizzy, though, so I’m gonna go sit down now.” Isak patted Even’s back before moving back shakily and going into the lounge.  Even followed worriedly and hovered around Isak as he sunk onto the sofa and lay down.  Isak was still getting dizzy spells a few times a week, but they were definitely on the decline.  None of them seemed to rattle Isak as much as the first one had either, which was good.

“Why don’t you call Ellie down?” Isak whispered, closing his eyes for a few seconds.

“Let’s wait for you to feel a bit better.” Even propped Isak up a bit and sat down, letting his mate rest his head on his lap.  He ran his fingers through Isak’s soft curls and rubbed at Isak’s temples and across his forehead until Isak relaxed in his lap.

“Thanks.” He sighed happily as he opened his eyes and looked up at Even.

“Any time.” Even smiled down at him, bending over uncomfortably for a quick kiss.

“Ready?” Isak checked as he sat up and snuggled into his side.

“Definitely.” Even nodded.  “Ellie!  Can you come into the lounge?” He shouted over the back of the sofa, keeping his head tilted back until he heard his sister’s footsteps coming towards them.

“Are you gonna tell me?!” She asked as soon as she walked through the door.

“We are.” Even grinned.  “Come and sit down.” Even patted the sofa next to Isak, but Elise chose to sit on the armchair opposite them.

“What is it?!” She was practically vibrating with excitement.

“So, you know how mama and papa have us?” Even began, watching his sister nod uncertainly.  “Well, me and Isak are going to have a baby of our own.  Isak’s pregnant.” Even told her, moving his hand under Isak’s shirt and covering his bump protectively.

“Isak has a baby in his tummy?” Elise blinked.  “Will they be my little brother or sister?” She frowned.

“No, this is the _really_ cool bit.” Isak shook his head and leaned forwards, and Elise’s eyes widened.  “Because Even’s your big brother, you’re going to be this baby’s _auntie_.  They’re going to be your little niece or nephew!” Isak explained.

“I’m their _auntie_?” Elise looked awed.

“That’s right; you’ll be aunty Ellie!” Isak beamed.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Elise was eyeing Isak’s midriff curiously and Even felt a pang of alpha pride at having got his mate pregnant.

“We don’t know yet, they’re still a bit too little for us to see that.” Isak answered with ease.

“Have you seen them already?” Elise tilted her head.  “Do you have one of those x-rays?”

“They’re called ultrasounds, they’re a little bit different to x-rays, but yeah we’ve had a few!  We’ve seen our baby, but they’re still _very_ little in there.” Isak was a natural at this.  Even had no doubt that he was going to be an amazing dad.

“What did they look like?” Even loved how curious Elise was.

“Like a little jellybean.” Even grinned, hugging Isak closer to his side.  “In the first couple of scans it just looked like Isak had a little jellybean in his tummy!  But now they’re a bit bigger and they look like a little person.”

“A jellybean!” Elise repeated, giggling like that was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Isak pretended to scold him, but there was no denying the smile on his face or the overwhelming scent of happy omega rolling off of him.

Even wouldn’t have had it any other way.

***

It was only when the boys were leaving Even’s parents’ to go home that Isak noticed it.

“There’s something on the back of your dad’s car.” Isak frowned as they were going past.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Even shrugged, already thinking about getting into bed despite it being barely gone 20.00.

“No, there is!” Isak insisted.  He walked back to Johan’s car and used the flashlight on his phone to see clearly.

“Well?” Even’s heart was hammering harder and harder with every second of Isak’s silence that passed.

“It’s a _baby on board_ sign.” Isak sounded shocked.

“Took you long enough to notice it!” Even tried to play it cool.

“How long has it been there?!” Isak looked over at him with wide eyes.

“I put it there before I came to pick you up!”

“ _Even_!” Isak covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.  “I’m pretty sure people usually wait until the baby’s been _born_ to put these signs up.” Isak peeked through his fingers at him and Even could see hints of that delicious blush on his boyfriend’s cheeks.

“Nah, that sounds silly to me.” Even shook his head and went over to Isak, tugging him over by the belt-loops of his jeans.

“That’s because you’re incredibly extra.” Isak huffed out a laugh as he let Even pull him forwards.

“No, it’s because _you’re_ my baby.” Even nosed at Isak’s bite.  “And now you’re _carrying_ my baby, so we need to be twice as careful with you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS????????????
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	14. Don’t keep your pixie godparent in suspense!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak goes to see Eskild, gets some answers out of Jonas, and the boys have their 16 week scan! (3.2k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write this chapter and I bashed it out over the course of this sunny bank holiday Monday; enjoy

Despite his exhaustion Isak was in a great mood.  The sun was shining, it wasn’t _too_ hot for his pregnant body to deal with, and he was finally going to see Eskild and tell him the big news.

Nostalgia hit him hard as he looked at the rainbow sticker over the doorbell for kollektivet, and to his embarrassment he could feel tears prickling at his eyes.  He wouldn’t even need to tell Eskild he was pregnant if he went upstairs with red eyes from crying over a sticker he used to see every day, but that wasn’t really how he wanted Eskild to find out.

He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before letting himself through the gate that Eskild had left open for him – as promised – and jogged up the steps until he was at the right flat.  He had barely touched the wood before the door was flying open and Eskild was pulling him inside in a hug, and Isak melted into it.

“It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, baby gay!” Eskild walked them backwards and quickly closed the front door before he held Isak at arms length and looked him over.

“I’m fine, Eskild.” Isak laughed, trying to brush the pixie’s stare off.  He didn’t want Eskild to somehow see Isak’s podge under Even’s shirt and guess the big news.  “I just missed you and figured that our schedules don’t line up very often so we should take this chance today.  I have news.” Isak smiled as they made themselves comfortable in the lounge.

“Good news, from the smile on your face.” Eskild smiled back at him, but Isak didn’t miss the way that his friend’s gaze flickered to his left hand.

“Amazing news.” Isak nodded.

“Well, don’t keep your pixie godparent in suspense!  Spill the beans!” Eskild made the universal _hurry up_ gesture with his hands, unaware of how tickled Isak was by his choice of words.

“The beans, huh?  The beans are…I’m pregnant!” Isak beamed.

From the way Eskild’s eyes popped that hadn’t even been on his top ten list for reasons Isak had reached out.  Almost enough time passed in tense silence for Isak to start regretting his decision, before-

“ _What_?!” Eskild’s voice went up about four octaves and was loud enough that people in the North Pole probably heard it, but Isak couldn’t even care because he was too caught up with how excited Eskild looked.

“You’re pregnant?  But- you- _how_?  I mean, no offense, but I didn’t think you _could_ …” Eskild trailed off, apparently running out of words to dig himself into his hole.

“We didn’t think it would happen either.” Isak admitted, resting his hands over his bump and letting himself just _feel_ the love he had for their little miracle.  “But here we are: 16 weeks pregnant.” Almost as if to prove themselves Jellybean kicked at his hand, and Isak almost burst with happiness.

“Oh my god, look at you!” Eskild was tearing up next to him.  “You’re so fucking happy!  Hell, _I’m_ so fucking happy!”

“You know they can hear in there now…” Isak tried not to laugh at the horrified look on Eskild’s face.

“Shit!  I mean- ah, hell.  Never mind.” Eskild shook his head.  “Tell me _everything_.  Do you know the sex yet?  Have you got _names_ planned?  Have you bought anything yet?  Are you going to have a baby shower?  No, what am I thinking?  How are _you_ , baby gay?” Eskild leaned forward with a serious look on his face and Isak reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.

“I’m okay, most of the time.” He promised.  “Now that I don’t get sick any more it makes a big difference.  At the moment it’s mostly dizziness and crazy high blood pressure.  I have a lot of nosebleeds, which is freaking people out.” Isak laughed, rubbing his bump fondly.

“I guess it’s going to be one of those things where there’s a new symptom to put up with every other week.” Eskild rubbed at his hair thoughtfully.

“You pretty much hit the nail on the head.” Isak nodded.  “Even’s been my rock, though, he’s been so good at putting up with me.”

“As he should be; he’s the one who got you pregnant!” Eskild said indignantly.

“I know, but he’s been so calm through my mood swings and my cravings and my up and down sex drive.  He deserves a medal, honestly.” Isak couldn’t praise his boyfriend enough, as cheesy as that was.

“I can’t believe how far you’ve come.” Eskild shook his head in disbelief.  “You were just a scared kid when we met, and now you’re this proud strong omega and you’re having a baby with your amazing boyfriend.” Eskild wiped his eye and Isak shook his head.

“No, don’t, if you start crying then I’m _definitely_ going to cry.” Isak sniffed, already feeling the tears welling up.  “I cry at everything now.  I even cried at your rainbow sticker on the doorbell.” Isak laughed wetly as he threw himself across the sofa and hugged Eskild.

“Thank you for everything, Eskild.  I can’t wait for you to be as amazing with this baby as you’ve been with me.” There honestly weren’t words strong enough for Isak to convey how grateful he was to Eskild, so he just had to hope that the hug would suffice.

“I can’t wait either.” Eskild whispered, hugging him back just as tightly.

“What are you going to do about uni?” Eskild asked when they finally broke apart, both of them wiping their eyes.

“I have like a week and a half left.  Basically once I do this last exam that’s me finished.  I deferred my place for a year; it’s all sorted.” Isak added when he saw the confused look on Eskild’s face.

“Aw, so you’re going to take some time to be a daddy.  That’ll be good for you.” Eskild seemed happy for him, and it calmed something inside of Isak to have his guru approve of his plan.

“The baby’s due late December, so by the time classes start again it’ll be late September maybe October so they’ll be six or seven months.  I’m only going to be studying part time when I _do_ go back, so I’m hoping it all works out.” Isak trailed his fingers along his bump as he thought about it all.

“Sounds like a brilliant plan, baby gay.” Eskild smiled.  “So, _do_ you know the sex of the baby yet?” He revisited one of his earlier questions now that he was convinced that Isak was okay.

“We’re hoping to find out today.  I have my 16 week scan this afternoon.” Isak was so fucking excited, even though he knew that it wasn’t guaranteed that Jellybean would be in the right position for them to be able to see their sex at 16 weeks.

“Do you have a preference?”

“I don’t even know.” Isak shook his head.  “Either way a baby is going to be a massive learning curve for me and Even; I haven’t even thought about if I’d rather have a son or a daughter.  Right now me and Ev just call them Jellybean.”

“ _Jellybean_.” Eskild repeated with a squeal.  “That’s it, that’s too cute, get out of my house.” He pointed towards the door and Isak laughed.

“You want me to leave?  You sure you don’t have any more questions to throw at me?” Isak teased, shifting in his seat as if he was about to get up.

“Sit your ass down, you know I have a million more things I want to know.” Eskild pulled Isak back into the sofa.  “I’m going to make some tea and we’re going to have a _long_ talk, baby gay.”

***

Isak (15.18)

_can I ask you a question?_

Jonas (15.20)

_sure what’s up?_

_everything okay?_

Isak (15.21)

_yeah I’m just waiting outside the hospital for Even haha_

_we have a scan today_

Jonas (15.21)

_awesome!_

_what’s the question?_

Isak (15.23)

_when we told you guys that I was pregnant you said that you knew_

_how did you know?????_

Jonas (15.24)

_that’s your question haha I thought this was something serious!!_

_I knew because your scent was different and you were like glowing and you were way happier than usual_

_there was just something different about you man idk how else to say it_

_I could just tell_

Isak (15.26)

_hmm_

_maybe it was just your keen alpha nose giving the game away early_

Jonas (15.27)

_you worried about other people knowing before you were ready?_

Isak (15.27)

_doesn’t matter much now but yeah I guess_

_and I was just curious if you were bullshitting or not haha ;)_

Jonas (15.29)

_bullshitting was always your speciality bro_

Isak (15.29)

_oyyyy!!!_

_good one_

***

“Good to see you boys again.” Eriksen greeted them as they settled in their usual places.  Isak fidgeted in the chair to get comfortable before he reached out for Even’s hand, feeling a bit better once Even’s fingers were linked through his.

“Anything to report since your last scan?” Eriksen asked, and Isak looked at Even’s worried face before he turned back to the doctor.

“My blood pressure’s been pretty high; I’ve had quite a few nosebleeds.” It was stupid, but Isak felt like he was admitting a personal failure.

“Some parents do experience higher blood pressure at this stage in their pregnancy, but I’ll monitor your BP over the next few weeks just to be safe as it can also be a warning sign of something not being quite right.”

“Okay.” Isak had never felt so small.  High blood pressure had never been a big deal, but now that he was pregnant it was like being a teenager again having doctors constantly monitoring him.  Every little thing could potentially kill him or his baby and he wasn’t sure he could handle that.

“You okay, angel?” Even tugged on his hand gently until Isak looked over at him and Isak felt his bottom lip start to tremble.

“It’s just a lot.” He hated that he was about to cry.  “I’m terrified of not mentioning something and that being the thing that hurts the baby.” He clung onto Even’s hand tighter, but Even did one better and sat up on the edge of Isak’s chair and pulled him into a cuddle.

“We’re both observant enough to see when things are wrong, okay?  We’re all doing our best for you and that little life in there.” Even reminded him, guiding Isak’s face into his bite.  Isak went more than willingly; he pressed his face into Even’s collar and soaked up as much of Even’s scent and comfort as he could.

“It’s not just about Jellybean, baby, we’ve got to look after you too.” Even whispered into his hair before placing kisses over the top of Isak’s head.  Isak just pressed his face harder into Even’s bite, because he didn’t want to think about how Even would react if he said he’d do anything for this baby even if it meant he didn’t make it to see them grow up.

“I love you.” Isak said instead, smattering kisses over Even’s bite.

“I love you too.” He had been hearing those words for years and they never got less life affirming.  “Ready to see Jellybean again?” Even checked as he pulled back just far enough to be able to see Isak’s face.

“Yeah.” Isak gave his eyes one last wipe before he settled back in the chair, too embarrassed to even look at Eriksen.

He kept his eyes on Even instead.

“This is the scan that we can find out the sex, right?” Even asked the doctor as the gel was spread across Isak’s belly.

“If the baby isn’t in too awkward a position I should be able to tell you, but not everyone finds out at this scan.” Eriksen explained.  From the look on Even’s face he hoped as much as Isak did that they’d be able to find out today.  They had agreed that they didn’t want any surprises with this pregnancy, so as soon as information was available to them they wanted it.

Even relayed that much to their doctor as he got the machine all set up, and Isak couldn’t help but hold his breath as the wand was pressed against his belly.  He knew the exact second that the image came up on the screen just from watching Even’s face, and his omega melted at the way their alpha softened at the sight of their baby.

Isak tore his gaze away from Even’s beautiful face to look at the monitor with him, and he sucked in a breath as the rush of emotions hit him.  It didn’t get any less incredible or overwhelming seeing their miracle child.

“You’re in luck: baby’s not being awkward about it!” Eriksen smiled as he took a closer look at the scan.  “Last chance to decide you want it to be a surprise.” He looked between the two of them and Isak just held Even’s hand tighter.

“We’re not backing out; we want to know.” Even confirmed when it became clear that Isak couldn’t speak through the lump in his throat.

“Okay.” The doctor nodded.  “In that case, let me be the first to congratulate you on your daughter.”

***

“For the last time, Ev, we are _not_ calling her Juliet.  I don’t care how it’s spelt; we’re just _not_.  I don’t want to have to explain to some poor kid that she got her name because you have a perpetual Baz boner!”

They had only know the sex for a few hours and they were already having this argument.

“Fine.” Even pouted, although Isak had come to learn that that meant _I’ll try again in an hour_.  “What about Grethe?” He suggested instead.

“She’s not going to be born an 80 year old grandma.” Isak wrinkled his nose.

“Thanks for that horrifying mental image, babe.” Even looked suitably disturbed, which Isak thought was deserved after suggesting they name their tiny baby _Grethe_.

“Look at this list, Ev, we can’t use any of these names!  Gro?  Ebba?  Anneli?  No, no, no.  Let’s find a better list.” Isak shook his head and hit the back button on the website.

They were huddled in bed together, lit on by the light coming off of Isak’s laptop from where it was balanced on Even’s lap.

“Abigael; father rejoices.” Isak read out when he found a better list.  “That’s kinda cute.  Abigael Bech Næsheim.” He tried.

“We will always be rejoiced by her.” Even agreed, taking a look at the list.  “I always thought Astra was a cute name; it means star.  You love stars and space and the universe.”

“Astra Bech Næsheim.” Isak rolled it around his tongue.  “Let’s put it on the maybe pile.” He reached for the little notepad and scribbled Abigael and Astra down in the maybe column.

“Oh look, we could name her Johanne and your dad would literally never stop crying.” Isak pointed to it on the screen and Even laughed.

“I think we should let the poor kid have her own name and not try to copy my dad’s.  That would be too weird for me.” Even shook his head and swiftly scrolled down.

“Norna, the goddess of fate.” Even read off the screen a few seconds later.

“Norna?  No, I don’t think I like that.” Isak wrinkled his nose.

“It’s a cute meaning though; having this baby must have been fate for us to manage it even despite the odds.” Even pointed out.

“It is a cute meaning, but I don’t think I like _Norna_ as a name.”

“Rania; queen.” Even glanced over for Isak’s reaction.

“She’s already going to be our little angel, I don’t think I want to give her a princess concept.” Isak shook his head.  “It is a cute name though.” He conceded.

“Sigrid; beautiful and fair.”

“Isn’t that a singer?” Isak looked over at Even.

“Don’t kill my vibe, Is.” Even rolled his eyes.  Isak wasn’t sure, but he felt like he was missing something.  Even’s lips were twitching, but Isak didn’t care enough to ask what the joke was.

“Sofia; wisdom.” Isak saw as Even moved the screen down.  “Sofia Bech Næsheim?” He liked it less with Even’s name attached to it, so he shook his head and went back to the list.

“What about Yulene?  It means born during Yule, and she is due around Christmas.”

“Yeah, but what if she gets older and doesn’t like her birthday being so close to Christmas?  Then her name is always going to be a reminder of that!” Isak felt like he was thinking way too in depth about this, but at the same time: this was the name their baby was going to have to live with for their _whole_ life.

Unless they fucked up so badly that she filed to get her name changed.

It was making Isak sweat just thinking about it.

“Let’s try a different list.” Even decided before Isak could suggest the same thing.  At least he and Even were on – mostly – the same page about things.

They worked their way through several lists before a name caught both of their eyes.

“Eira.” Isak read, and Even stopped scrolling.

“Eira.” He repeated.

“It says it comes from the name Eir.  Apparently no one can decide if this person was a valkyrie or a really gifted healer, but they could heal anyone.  It says something about mercy, but it’s all written in English and I’m too tired for that.” Isak lay his head on Even’s bare shoulder and they were both quiet for a few seconds.

“Eira Bech Næsheim?” Even finally said, his eyes moving down to Isak’s belly.

“Eira?  What do you think of that, baby girl?” Isak asked his bump, spreading his hands over it.

“Isak, Even, and Eira.” Even tried it out and Isak’s breath caught as the baby shifted.

“She moved!” He told Even, not forgetting his promise.

“Yeah?  You want to be Eira, huh?” Even spread his hands over Isak’s and for the thousandth time in their relationship Even proved to Isak that your heart always had room for more love.

She shifted again restlessly, and Isak knew he was going to get a shit sleep that night if she was getting antsy but it felt worth it.

“Eira it is.” He and Even nodded.

“Good thing we got this sorted, otherwise she might have had to have been called Jellybean her whole life.” Even laughed as he put the laptop away and curled himself around Isak.

They got comfortable in their usual spooning position and as Isak snuggled back into Even’s warmth Even ran his nose down the slope of Isak’s neck until he could kiss his bite.

“I can’t believe we’re having a baby girl.” He whispered against the sensitive skin, stroking Isak’s bump slowly.

“I can’t believe you thought I’d let you actually name this baby Jellybean.” Isak grinned into the dark, burrowing himself closer to Even.  He liked being able to feel the way Even laughed.

“Goodnight, Isak.” Even shook his head fondly.

“Goodnight, Even.”

“And goodnight, Eira.” Even whispered, stroking his thumbs across Isak’s belly until Isak drifted off to sleep.

Isak couldn’t believe his luck that his reality was sweeter than a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few other bits happened at the 16 week scan (the amniocentesis test, Eriksen used a big needle to take a sample of amniotic fluid to test for any abnormalities like Downs Syndrome etc) but I just couldn't be bothered to write it omg
> 
> anyway THOUGHTS ON THIS CHAPTER????????? are you happy the boys are having a little girl??? what are your thoughts on names??????? mickmicklemonade on AO3 asked for Isak not liking any of the names Even suggested ♥
> 
> lol I totally lost track of the real time aspect of this fic and when I worked it out today and found out it was mid June in their time I was like OH SHIT so yeah Isak's birthday is coming up in the next couple of chapters! what do we think will happen for Isak's 21st?
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	15. No more uni for me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak makes it through his last exam, the boys start thinking about the future, and plans are made for Isak's birthday (2.3k)

Isak felt like he was cramming information for his last exam into his brain almost as fast as he was forgetting it all.  It was like as soon as he wrote something down for his flash cards his brain reminded him of another thing they would need for the baby.

 _Not now_ , Isak kept trying to force the thoughts into submission.  _This is my last exam; just let me finish this and then we can be all about the baby all the time._   He was genuinely trying to bargain with his subconscious mind.

Obviously, his subconscious didn’t care.

Since they had agreed on a name for their baby girl the other day his brain had become totally baby-focused, and it was making his revision for the last exam a thousand times harder than it usually was.  It was so bad that when Even got home at almost 22.00 Isak was _still_ in the lounge with his mind maps spread everywhere and his flashcards out, even though his lectures were all finished and he’d been trying to study since before 9.

“Is?  Do you know how late it is?” Even frowned, sticking head around the door.  Clearly he had been expecting to find his boyfriend in the bedroom, where Isak _would_ have been if he felt like he had actually accomplished his study target of the day.

“Yes, but my exam’s _tomorrow_ and I need to study and my stupid _brain_ just won’t take anything in and I’m going to fail the test and totally fuck myself over at the last hurdle and- _ugh_ , god, she’s moving so much tonight.” Isak still wasn’t used to the way it felt when the baby moved; it made his breath dry out in his chest every single time and he had to stop what he was doing for a few seconds just to get over it.

“You’re going to nail that test, baby.  You just _remember_ this stuff, especially when you make those flashcards.” Even came and sat with him on the sofa and cast an eye over all of Isak’s notes, probably wondering why he was wasting his time dating such an obsessive reviser.

“I’m not going to remember anything, because all my brain can focus on is _baby_ stuff.” Isak huffed, throwing his pen onto the floor angrily.  He felt only a _little_ bit mollified by how it clipped off the edge of the coffee table and flung halfway across the room.

“Have you been studying _all_ day?” From the tone of Even’s voice Isak felt like he already knew the answer.

“Of course I have, Even, did you forget the part about my final exam being _tomorrow_?” Isak glared.  Even would never understand his problem; he and Even just had such different studying and remembering methods.

“Have you tried just taking half an hour to think about the baby things your brain keeps throwing at you?” Even arched an eyebrow like it was the most obvious solution and Isak kind of wanted to punch his boyfriend’s eyebrows off so they’d stop taunting him.

“No.” He admitted.  He could sort of see how that might help, but he was terrified that if he went down that rabbit hole now he’d never come back and he’d end up writing about baby formula or some shit on his exam paper.

“Why don’t we give it a go?  I’ll give you a quiz on _all_ your flashcards afterwards and then we can go to sleep.  You’ll definitely fail the exam if you’re up all night trying to cram.” Isak hated how reasonable Even was being about what felt like the worst problem Isak had ever faced.

“Excuse you, I did almost _all_ my secondary exams on no sleep and energy drinks.” Isak disagreed, but he got to his feet anyway.

“You did.” Even agreed as he helped Isak step over his mind maps without disturbing any of them.  “You remember how hard you caffeine crashed after all of them?  I do.  I thought you were gonna die.” Even said conversationally as they moved into the bedroom together, like he wasn’t derailing Isak’s petulant argument.

“Besides, you’re pregnant now.  You couldn’t tackle your exams that way now any way!” Even pointed out while Isak flopped on the bed and flipped his laptop open.

“Okay, I get it.” Isak huffed, trying his hardest not to pout about it.  Curse Even for being so clearheaded while Isak was being a dramatic bitch.

“Okay, so what has your brain been thinking about Eira?” Even asked once he was in bed with Isak, sliding his hand across until it was resting with familiar ease over Isak’s bump.

“Not so much about her,” Isak shook his head, covering Even’s hand fondly.  “More about the things we’re going to need _for_ her.”

“So we should make a list.” Even surmised.

“A list.” Isak repeated.  “We can do that.  That’s easy.” His brain felt like mush inside his skull after studying all day.

“What have you been thinking about during the day?”

“We’ll need bottles, and special formula because my body’s a mess and I’ll never be able to make milk.  And a high chair for when she gets a bit bigger and she can eat solids, and little plastic bowls and plates and cutlery for her.  A _crib_ , and then that’ll need sheets and we’ll have to get some baby monitors so we can hear her when we aren’t in the room with her.  And a sling, so that we can still do stuff while we’re carrying her around.  She’ll need nappies, and we’re going to need somewhere to actually _change_ her and store all the bits that go with nappies.  Just off the top of my head.” Isak was actually sweating a little just thinking about it all.

“We can just get one of those changing units?” Even suggested.

“No way!  Have you seen how expensive those things are?!” Isak shook his head.  “And what space would we put a whole unit in, Ev?  No, I was thinking we could just get the changing mat and put all the nappy things – the nappies, wipes, cream, the little nappy bag things to bin them in, some cleaning spray to clean the mat after we use it – in like a big bag and then when we’re not using it we can just put it discretely in a corner somewhere.” Isak was already clicking around and bookmarking things online.

“Wow, you really have been thinking about this.” Even’s lips were twitching and Isak momentarily stopped looking between various big bags for nappy storage.

“Oh, well I’m sorry that I’m thinking about how to provide for the baby you put in me!” He snapped, his temper flaring embarrassingly fast.  He was genuinely ready to flip his own laptop off his lap and storm off.  “She’s not going to be in me forever; she’s going to need _stuff_!” Isak hissed.  Since she had got big enough to be able to hear her parents voices Isak tried his hardest not to get angry or argue with people in case it scared her.

Pregnancy hormones meant that he more often than not just ended up whispering his arguments in the hopes that she wouldn’t hear.

“I think it’s great that you’re thinking about this stuff, baby.” Even shook his head, and Isak’s temper deflated.  He wondered how Even managed to keep his cool while Isak lost his rag with him on the regular; if the situations had been reversed Isak would have been constantly snapping back at Even.

“I’ve been thinking about it too.  Not as clearly as you have, but it’s definitely been on my mind.  And now we’re in the safe zone, I kind of…want to start looking at baby stuff, y’know?” Even looked almost embarrassed by that, but it calmed something inside of Isak to know that Even was thinking about providing for this baby too.

“I think I want that too.” Isak nodded, giving Even’s hand a squeeze over where Eira was apparently stretching out inside of him.

Despite Even’s half hour time limit they spent about an hour huddled together on their bed bookmarking things they could get for the baby that were within their budget and weren’t going to take up a ton of space in their modest flat.  By the time Even realised the time it was gone 23.00, but Isak didn’t even care.

He insisted that Even quizzed him on all of his flashcards before they went to bed – after all, that had been the deal – because Isak knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep if he thought there was more studying he should have been doing after his impromptu hour break baby shopping.

And would you know it: he aced every flashcard Even gave him.

***

“There’s my genius boyfriend!” Even was on him as soon as Isak walked through the door the next night.

“I did it!” Isak squealed as Even swept him up in his arms, his feet leaving the ground.  “I did my last exam!  No more uni for me!” Isak felt so much lighter now that he didn’t have to think about classes and coursework and exams.

“Ready to commit to being a daddy, huh?” Even grinned against his lips as he gave him soft sweet kisses between every other word.

“So ready.” Isak nodded, nuzzling his nose against Even’s happily.  “Thank you for helping me get through my revision last night.  If I passed that exam it’ll be thanks to you.” Isak thanked his boyfriend as he slid down Even’s front until his feet were back safely on the floor.

“Babe, if you’ve passed that exam it’s because of your own great big brain.  And what do you mean _if_ you passed?  Do you not think it went well?” Even frowned over his shoulder and Isak followed him into the kitchen.  It smelt like Even had been cooking his favourite.

“No, I think it went pretty well!  I answered everything and I feel pretty confident about my answers.  I just don’t want to jinx it!” As logical as he was, Isak still believed that he had enough bad luck to be able to jinx himself with overconfidence.

“They’ll miss their best student next year!” Even waved his spatula around dramatically as if he was berating the course leader for letting Isak take some time out, and it was enough to put a huge smile on Isak’s face.

“I won’t be missing them.” He countered.

“No, I should hope not.” Even smiled over at him, that soft look back in his eyes.

“I’ll be busy with my mate and our baby girl.” Isak rubbed his bump fondly, not missing the way Even’s eyes darkened.

“You know when you say stuff like that it makes me want to spread you out on the bed and eat you for days?” Even said gruffly and Isak smirked over at him.

“I do.” He nodded smugly.

“Get in that bedroom.”

“Already going.”

***

Magnus (20.47)

_yo @Isak are you doing anything for your birthday this year???_

Jonas (20.51)

_his birthday’s on Sunday, pretty sure he’d have told us if he was planning anything by now Mags_

Mahdi (20.52)

_Jonas is just trying to spare your feelings. Isak’s had his birthday planned for ages, you just aren’t cool enough for the guest list @Magnus_

Magnus (20.53)

_fuck off!!!!_

Even (20.55)

_we haven’t really thought about it yet, don’t sweat @Magnus_

Jonas (20.57)

_@Isak do you want to do anything? it is your 21 st after all?_

Isak (20.58)

_I’m almost 17 weeks pregnant guys not like we can all get fuck off drunk and break out the bong_

Even (20.59)

_but we could still celebrate!_

Mahdi (21.01)

_well, YOU can’t get drunk and stoned ;)_

Magnus (21.01)

_yeah we’re all pretty much finished at uni now until September, this could have been our big blow out end of the year party!_

Isak (21.03)

_sorry for being too busy literally creating life to party_

Jonas (21.03)

_you know we’re all just kidding_

_if you’re keeping it clean then obviously we are too, we aren’t total dicks_

Mahdi (21.05)

_well………… @Magnus_

Magnus (21.06)

_leave me alone!!!!_

Even (21.06)

_okay kids stop fighting_

_otherwise NO ONE’S invited to Isak’s birthday and I’ll just keep him to myself_

Isak (21.07)

_I like the sound of that_ _♥_

Magnus (21.09)

_who wouldn’t love being locked away with Even?_

_that’s not the point_

Isak (21.11)

_stop being so thirsty over my mate_

_I’ll fight you_

Even (21.12)

_you definitely will not be fighting anyone ever_

Jonas (21.14)

_everyone knows Even would die before he cheated on you Isak_

_so you can put those fists away_

_and tell us once and for all what the birthday plan is_

Mahdi (21.15)

_yeah, we haven’t seen you since the big announcement! it’ll be good to see you, birthday or not_

Jonas (21.16)

_exactly_

Magnus (21.17)

_so @Isak what do you want to do?_

Isak (21.20)

_idk man I’m not really a birthday person_

_I just use it as an excuse to get wasted like everyone else_

Even (21.22)

_we could just do something easy?_

_the weather’s been good; we could have a picnic or something?_

Mahdi (21.24)

_that sounds good_

_will you make those little sandwiches @Even?????_

Magnus (21.25)

_oh god yes Even’s food!!!!!!!!!!!_

Isak (21.26)

_picnic in the park sounds good to me_

_but if I fall asleep no one’s allowed to be a dick about it_

Jonas (21.28)

_you’re pregnant!! no one was going to be a dick about it!!!!_

Isak (21.29)

_bro I’ve known you all too long to trust any of you with my sleeping face_

Even (21.29)

_as if I’d let them!!_

Mahdi (21.31)

_Even’s right, now you’re pregnant we’d have no chance of getting near you with the permanent marker_

Isak (21.32)

_see!!_

Magnus (21.33)

_@Even you didn’t answer Mahdi, will you make those sandwiches?!_

Even (21.34)

_I will make lots of food, sandwiches included_

_you guys can sort out the drinks_

Isak (21.37)

_I feel like this is more about Even’s cooking than my birthday ngl_

Jonas (21.38)

_it was all an elaborate ploy_

_we’re all just starving students_

Isak (21.40)

_knew it_

_see you all on Sunday_ _♥_

***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS????????
> 
> things that Isak bookmarked if anyone's interested (and because I love looking at baby stuff) ( [1](https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/9086/10h/origin-g2.scene7.com//is/image/MothercareASE/lf8583_1?&%24dw_large_mc%24) [2](https://ii1.pepperfry.com/media/catalog/product/f/o/800x880/folding-baby-high-chair-in-rz-wange-color-by-marco-folding-baby-high-chair-in-rz-wange-color-by-marc-tofci6.jpg) [3](https://www.bonkers.uk.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/r/greatbigbagofstuff800.png) [4](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/6c/65/596c651d0e0411229a4e0eb70f29f7fe.jpg) )
> 
> remember that you can request scenes ♥
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	16. (EVEN) This is the best birthday, even WITHOUT Jonas' bong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak's birthday picnic, some shopping, and some smut (3.7k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for how long this took me to write; I had to deal with two weeks at work with just a shitty coworker so I didn't have much writing time RIP on the plus side I have a week off now so I might be able to write a bit more to make it up to you (and myself) ♥

“I’m too big for all my clothes, Ev.” Isak was groaning from the middle of their bed where he was trying to buck his hips up enough to convince his shorts to slide up the last few inches.

“We probably do need to buy some maternity clothes.” Even nodded, trying to school his features into something resembling sympathetic for Isak’s struggles.  Truth was: he _loved_ the way Isak’s body was growing.  He could hardly keep his hands off of Isak’s round belly – and _damn_ , was it round now – and his thick waist, and if that wasn’t enough to send Even’s brain back to its primitive state then Isak’s changed scent would have been.

His boyfriend smelt fucking _incredible_.  It was like Isak’s heat scent but a thousand times better, because it was telling the world that Isak was full of Even’s baby.

“Stop being so smug!” Isak half-yelled tearfully, throwing one of the shirts he had discarded for being too tight at Even’s head.  “Stop being such an alpha dick while I’m over here feeling like a fat idiot.” Isak wiped at his wet eyes, the tremor in his hands looking worse than usual, and Even immediately felt bad.

“I’m sorry, baby.” He helped Isak sit up and rubbed his bump slowly, hoping to calm Isak down a little.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He kissed the top of Isak’s head.

“That XL shirt of yours is the only thing that fits me now.” Isak sniffled.  “It doesn’t even smell like you any more because _I’m_ the only one wearing it!” Isak’s voice broke and he buried his face in Even’s shoulder, and Even felt the sad pout on his own face as Isak cried into his shoulder.

“How about tomorrow we got clothes shopping?  I’m not at work until after lunch.” Even offered, rubbing Isak’s back.

“But what am I going to wear _today_?” Isak snapped, flopping back on the bed.  “Maybe we should just cancel today.  I don’t want to have to fight on these shorts.” Isak sounded so defeated and Even just couldn’t have that.

“But it’s your birthday!  We’re all getting together for _you_!” Even exclaimed.  “We can’t cancel, baby.  And think about how much you were looking forward to it before we got dressed!”

“Before _you_ got dressed.” Isak corrected him testily.  “ _I’m_ still trying to find clothes I fit into.” If looks could kill then Isak would have obliterated Even down to his very last molecule.

“How about I help you into those shorts, and you can wear the XL shirt one last time, and tomorrow we’ll buy as much maternity clothing as we can carry?  After stuffing our faces at this picnic today, obviously.” Even added with a wink.

“You’ll help me into these shorts?” Isak sniffed, looking over at Even warily.

“Of course I will, baby.  C’mere.” He helped Isak sit up before helping him stand up next to the bed.  “I’m going to pull them up, okay?  Gravity’s going to help us.” He told Isak as he hooked his fingers into the belt loops.

“Okay.” Isak nodded, taking a deep breath.  “Do it.” Even tugged up hard – hard enough that Isak’s feet left the floor – and sure enough the shorts went up the last crucial inches.

“There’s no way we’ll be able to do them up, but that’ll be hidden under the shirt.” Even said as he pulled the offending shirt down over Isak’s belly, where sure enough it covered the open fly of Isak’s shorts.

“You look like a model and I can’t even do up my shorts.” Isak’s lip trembled again and Even shook his head.

“Baby, if you could see how beautiful you looked you’d know that I look like nothing compared to your fucking _radiance_.”

***

“My ankles are so swollen.” Isak moaned as they sat down on the picnic blanket.  They had got there a little bit early so that Isak could choose a suitably shady spot – he just couldn’t cope with the heat now he was pregnant – and catch his breath before the boys arrived.

“Ooh, they are.” Even winced as he pulled Isak’s feet onto his lap.  “Do you want me to rub them or do you not want me to touch them?” Even had learned in the last week that it was best to check, because sometimes it hurt more when Even tried to rub the swelling away.

“Rub, please.” Isak moaned pitifully.  Even pulled Isak’s shoes off with only minimal resistance – the swelling of Isak’s hands and feet definitely seemed worse when it was hot – and Isak sighed with relief just at being freed from his shoes.  Even circled Isak’s ankles one in each hand and slowly rubbed and squeezed the swelling, watching the way Isak’s legs trembled in response.

He was so caught up in relieving Isak’s aches and pains that he didn’t hear the boys until they were throwing themselves down on the picnic blanket with them.

“Hope we’re not interrupting anything!” Magnus grinned cheekily, ignoring the way everyone rolled their eyes.

“Isak’s ankles are sore.” Even explained, keeping the gentle pressure up.

“This is practically first aid.” Isak mumbled, his eyes closed and his eyebrows pinching together in a pained frown.

“He’ll be fine.” Even told the boys when they exchanged nervous looks.

“I’ve never really had to deal with anyone who was pregnant.” Magnus was the first to admit, and Mahdi and Jonas nodded along.

“Well, Isak’s five months pregnant so he’s going to be full of aches and pains.  He’s got our little girl in there.” Even couldn’t help but sound proud.

Fuck, he _was_ proud of Isak.  He was so fucking proud that his beautiful omega was strong enough to _create_ a life.  Isak was a walking miracle, even when it was hurting him to walk.

“A girl?” Jonas repeated.

“A girl.” Even nodded happily.

“Why didn’t you tell us you knew?!” Jonas asked accusingly, and Isak opened his eyes like he knew Jonas was talking to him.

“It didn’t really seem like something to just text in the group chat.  We wanted to tell people in person.” Isak shrugged.  “But yeah, by the end of December we’ll have our daughter.” Even’s heart soared hearing Isak say it like that.

“That’s so exciting!” Magnus looked like someone had just told him he had won the lottery, which Even thought was sweet.  “She’ll be the best Christmas present.”

“She will.” Even agreed happily, giving Isak’s ankles one last squeeze and rub before letting them go and helping Isak sit up and get comfortable next to him.

“But…doesn’t that make me the wrapping paper?” Isak’s nose crinkled as he thought about the analogy.

“Let’s not over think it.” Jonas suggested, breaking open one of the big bottles of Coke.

“I don’t want this to be a baby fest.” Isak shook his head and reached for the lemonade.  “Let’s just pretend this is any other – sober – birthday event.” Even grabbed them two plastic cups and held them steady while Isak filled them with lemonade.

“Sure.” Mahdi nodded, cracking open a can of Dr Pepper.  “Is anyone doing anything for summer?”

Even smiled gratefully at Mahdi, watching happily as the boys all talked about their plans for the break.  No one mentioned how it wasn’t really a break for Isak – seeing as he wasn’t going back in September – but Isak seemed more than happy to live vicariously through his friends’ various plans.

“What about you, Even?  Taking any time off in summer?” Jonas asked when the boys stopped teasing him about taking Eva to Spain.

“No, I’ll just be working like normal.  It’s not that bad; the money’s good enough to make up for the iffy hours.” Even shrugged.  “There’s not much point in me taking time off now anyway; once we wrap up in December I’m staying off with Isak.” Even looked over at his boyfriend fondly, enjoying the way Isak’s cheeks went pink under his gaze.

“That makes sense.” Mahdi nodded next to him.

“Are you doing anything with your mum for your birthday?” Jonas asked Isak, moving the conversation out of almost-baby talk waters with ease.

“We’re going for lunch in the week.” Isak nodded.  “Pretty sure that will be a total baby-fest though; my mum’s _so_ excited to be a grandma.”

Excited was an understatement, in Even’s opinion.  Marianne was _ecstatic_.  She text Isak almost daily asking how he and the baby were doing and if there was anything they needed.  It was a little bit intense, so Even could only imagine what Isak’s birthday lunch was going to be like.

“She probably didn’t think she’d ever get the chance.” Magnus pointed out, and all the breath dried up in Even’s lungs.  He had no idea how Isak would take that statement now that he was up to his eyeballs in hormones.  There was a good chance that Isak was going to start crying and Even was going to have to tell Magnus off for being so painfully oblivious despite being an empath.

“We didn’t think so either.” Even watched with relief as Isak just smiled down at his big bump and smoothed his hand across it.  A second later Isak snapped out of his baby haze and he narrowed his eyes at them all.

“Wait, enough about the baby!  This is meant to be about _me_!” Isak protested, making everyone roll their eyes.

“Can’t believe you’re 21 and you haven’t outgrown that ego.” Jonas bumped shoulders with Isak, smirking over at him.

“Can’t help being the most awesome guy you know.” Isak shot back before flipping open their picnic basket and helping himself to some fruit.

“Fucking finally, someone’s getting the food out!” Mahdi cheered.

Apparently no one had wanted to be the first one, because as soon as Isak opened the basket Even watched in amusement as everyone delved in and got themselves some food.  Once everyone had something in hand to eat, stories started flowing.

And like Isak had insisted: the stories were all about him.

Everyone was sharing their favourite story with Isak in.  Even particularly enjoyed the older stories of Isak doing the wildest shit; listening to Jonas talk about the time Isak ran onto the back of his bike and had Jonas cycle him as far away from the police as possible always got Even a little hot under the collar.

He loved that side of Isak, although it almost never came out now.  Now Even just enjoyed listening to everyone reminisce about Isak’s wilder days, while knowing that Isak was now settled down in their domestic little lives.

“We should make a toast!” Magnus suggested after almost the food was gone and everyone had depleted their cache of Isak stories.

“To Isak,” Jonas lifted up his plastic cup of Coke, waiting until everyone else raised their cup before he continued.  “I’ve known you since we were barely teenagers, and I’ve watched you grow into a confident happy guy and find the love of your life, and I can’t wait to see what the next decade is gonna bring for you.  I love you, man; happy birthday.” Jonas actually looked a little emotional himself, and Even was glad that Isak had such a solid friendship in his life.

“To Isak!” Everyone cheered before draining their cups.  It was only after Even finished his drink that he thought that Isak had been suspiciously quiet, and when he looked over he couldn’t say he was surprised to see Isak frantically wiping away tears.

“I love you guys.  This is the best birthday, even _without_ Jonas’ bong.”

***

They had stocked up on enough loose maternity shirts and trousers to see Isak through the rest of his pregnancy, but somehow now that it was time to go find a till he had lost Isak.  Even had only taken a quick detour to grab a couple of shirts for himself, leaving Isak to his quick sit down for barely a minute. 

Apparently Isak had really meant it when he said he needed a _short_ sit. 

Even felt like he should be panicking, but he knew rationally that Isak couldn’t have gone that far.  If nothing else then Even would know if something terrible had happened thanks to their bite bond, and nothing had unsettled him like that so he knew that Isak must have been fine. 

He had just…gone walk about. 

“Isak?” Even looked in every direction he could from where he was stood beside the chair he had last seen Isak in, not raising his voice too much in case Isak wasn’t that far. 

“He went that way.” The young girl behind the till called over to him, pointing over in the opposite direction of the tills.  For a second Even wondered if she was just trying to trick him to keep him away from his defenceless pregnant mate, but he shook his head quickly.  He might have been an alpha but even he could see when he was being paranoid. 

“Thanks.” He nodded, walking in the direction she had pointed.  He wasn’t sure what it was that had drawn Isak in – it was mostly stuff for women he was going past – until suddenly it was right in front of him. 

The baby section. 

He was hardly on the outskirts of the area and he already he could smell Isak.  The air was positively thick with the smell of happy nesting omega.  It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots. 

“Isak?” Even tried again, edging through the racks carefully. 

“Here!” Isak’s head suddenly popped up a few racks away, and the look on his face almost knocked the breath right out of Even’s lungs.  He had never seen Isak softer; his face was flushed with happiness and his usually sharp green eyes looked honest to god  _dreamy_.  Even his posture seemed soft and sweet.  It was so unlike Isak; it was as if someone had taken all of Isak’s edges and sanded them down into soft sweet curves. 

Even wasn’t really sure what he thought of it, because his entire being was being sucked into the enticing smell of nesting omega.   _His_  omega, who he had put a baby into. 

“Decided to go for a walk, did we?” Even wrapped his arms around Isak’s thick waist as soon as he was within touching distance. 

“I noticed the shop map and I saw that we were practically on top of the baby stuff so I thought I’d check it out while you got your stuff.” Isak averted his eyes and Even smiled to himself as he dipped his head and ghosted a kiss over the corner of Isak’s sweet lips. 

“You know you smell fucking delectable right now?” Even whispered, nudging his kisses closer to Isak’s lips.  Almost immediately said lips parted to Even’s kisses, and Even couldn’t resist catching Isak’s bottom lip between his own for a moment before pulling back. 

“Did you see anything you like?” He asked, trying not to smirk too much at the dazed look on Isak’s face. 

Sometimes he just couldn’t resist teasing his baby. 

“All of it.” The lip that just seconds ago Even had had between his own started to quiver and Even pressed his lips together sympathetically.  Isak’s hormones were all over the place and he knew it was wearing his normally not-so-emotional boyfriend out. 

“Yeah?” Even encouraged, spreading a hand over Isak’s bump under his shirt.  That seemed to mollify Isak for the moment, and Even let Isak press as close as his determination let him.  It was the fucking least he could do, after all. 

“It’s all so small.” Isak gestured to the display of clothes in front of them, his voice breaking.  “We’re going to have a tiny little human who’s that small.” Isak sniffed, and Even knew that the tears were rapidly approaching.  He pressed a placating kiss to Isak’s forehead before looking at the clothes in front of them. 

And, yep, those were all  _minuscule_  clothes.  The labels all said 0-3 months, and Even’s heart did a weird flip over itself in his chest at the realisation of just how tiny Eira was going to be.  Isak’s belly was getting so big, but their baby was actually going to be tiny.  Tiny and  _oh so fragile_.  Their precious little miracle who was going to grow up to be an actual person with their own personality and interests. 

It was a lot to process, especially in the middle of a semi-busy shop.

“What d’you say we go pay for your clothes and go home?” Even was already herding Isak out of the baby section, his voice thick with emotion.

And that was the story of how they left a store both almost in tears over baby clothes.

***

Even was sound asleep when a motion in the bed prodded at his consciousness.  His eyelids felt like they were weighed down with sandbags, but now he was waking up he was definitely aware of Isak moving against him.

And…moaning?

That definitely woke Even all the way up.

He propped himself up on his elbow as his eyes adjusted to the dark and his body caught up with what was happening, and sure enough Isak was plastered to his side and humping lazily against his hip in his sleep.  It wasn’t the first time in their relationship that one of them had had a sex dream, but they were becoming more common for Isak now that he was pregnant.

Even had absolutely zero problems with that and they both knew it, so he had no regrets when he lay back down and sought out Isak’s bite.  It was beyond instinctive now for him to find that bite; he could find it even if he lost all his senses.  He just needed Isak next to him and he’d gravitate straight to it.

He smothered the delicate skin with kisses, relishing the way that Isak’s head tipped up to encourage the contact and he ground his hard on more forcefully against Even’s hip.

“Even-” Isak whimpered, and the combination of Isak saying his name like that and the overwhelming cloud of aroused omega scent their bedroom had turned into was enough to make Even’s head spin.  He licked and nipped at Isak’s bite frantically, quickly catching up with Isak’s aroused state, until suddenly Isak was arching against him.

“Baby?” Even felt like he was fighting every force in the universe to lift his head from Isak’s throat at that moment, but he had to see what was going on.

“ _Even_.” Isak whined, very much awake now.  “I’m close, I’m- I-” Isak looked frenzied, to the point where it actually reminded Even of when his boy was in heat.

“You need filling?” Even offered, already helping Isak lift his hips and remove his boxers.

“Not fast enough.” Isak shook his head quickly as he tugged Even’s boxers down.  “Need to feel you.” Isak pushed Even down so he was lying on his back and Even felt his eyes widen watching Isak heave himself onto Even’s lap, sliding their dicks together exquisitely.

Isak was a fucking vision: using his own slick to wet their dicks and make the slide easier and oh so fucking delicious and grinding his hips down desperately against Even’s.  His curls were falling over his face and sticking to his forehead with sweat, and in the moonlight streaming through the crack in their curtains Even could make out every perfect detail of Isak’s face.

He couldn’t have stopped the stream of praise he was spewing even if he tried, but how could he care when it was clearly making Isak hotter?  The second that Isak’s arms gave out Even was there to slow his fall, wrapping his arms around Isak’s ribs loosely and drinking up the desperate moans Isak was spilling in his ear as they humped their way closer to their orgasms like teenagers.

Isak was showing all of his tells: he was trembling all over, his movements had lost any sense of rhythm in favour of just chasing what felt good, he was leaking wetness _everywhere_ , and he was moaning like a fucking pornstar in Even’s ear.  He just needed one last push and Even knew exactly what would get his baby there.

He slid one hand down past Isak’s straining cock, resisting the urge to play with his balls as he went past them, until he reached Isak’s wet omega pussy and circled his slick fingers tightly around his clit.

Isak’s orgasm – like always – was a revelation to watch.  He pushed himself harder against Even’s cock as his body tightened beautifully, and Even could feel every shake of his body and every jerk of his dick trapped between them, and he cried out Even’s name over and over like a fucking _prayer_.

Feeling all of Isak’s wetness over his own dick and dripping down his balls while Isak was practically screaming his name was enough to get Even there, and Isak let out a high pitched moan as they both felt Even’s cock jerk between them and he came hard between their bellies.

Isak’s orgasm seemed to stretch on endlessly – another thing that had been happening more since he had got pregnant – and Even watched from his dazed post orgasm slump as his baby rode out the end of his orgasm, smearing their cum together in a mess that shouldn’t have been as hot as it was.

Even knew it definitely wasn’t going to be hot when they woke up in the morning, but he couldn’t have given less with Isak wet and whining in his lap.

“Fuck.” Isak whimpered into Even’s shoulder when he was finally finished and lying limply on top of him.

“Yeah.” Even agreed breathlessly.  His dick was honestly starting to harden again from watching Isak’s prolonged display, but he could tell that Isak didn’t have another go round in him this time.

“I love you.” Isak mumbled, nuzzling into Even’s bite and filling him with a sense of calm.

“I love you too, angel.” Even kissed Isak’s hair, tasting the salt of his sweat from his scalp.  “You _and_ your wild pregnancy hormones.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS?????
> 
> I might start the AUO3 Verse Extras; I was thinking to start off I'd do the chapter where Even and Isak meet from Even's POV if anyone other than me would be interested in that, and obviously the heat chapter will be in there too. anything else you guys would like to see in the Extras??
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	17. This is a family made on love, baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak tells Marianne the sex of the baby and things get deep. Isak's old fears rear their heads, and so does his asthma (2.7k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I could have posted this chapter like three days ago but I kept thinking there should be at least one lighter scene at the end but nothing felt right so I'm posting this chapter as is and the next one will be happier! sorry for the delay; I know I promised more writing over my week off but it just didn't work out that way :(

Isak felt huge.

He was 17 weeks pregnant and his bump felt like it was dominating his whole frame.  He knew that Even loved it; his alpha couldn’t stop touching his bump or rubbing it or covering it in kisses, but Isak was starting to flag.  His back hurt and he was becoming increasingly more paranoid about the way he was walking with all this extra weight to balance out.

He was convinced that people were staring at him as he walked to the café, but he didn’t want to look around at everyone to confirm that thought.  He just wanted to get himself one of the big squishy chairs and melt into it while he caught up with his mother.

He just about managed to buy himself something healthy and fruity to drink before crumpling into a chair by the window and waiting for Marianne.  He was too hot and his whole body ached and Eira just would not keep still; why had he even bothered to get out of bed?  He could have put his mama off until the heat died down a bit.

No, he probably _couldn’t_ have done that.  Isak knew he’d feel better once he saw her; besides: she had been so enthusiastic about doing something for his birthday.

“Happy birthday, my baby boy!” Marianne sang as she came out of nowhere and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Jesus!  Since when did you have such quiet footsteps?” Isak’s heart was hammering, but he couldn’t deny that he was happy to see her regardless.  Was it weird that his mother _and_ his mate both called him baby boy?  He really didn’t want to delve into _that_ can of worms.

“Language, Isak!” Marianne tutted as she sat opposite him at the little table.

“Sorry, sorry.” Isak held his hands up.

“You know how you could make it up to me?” Isak didn’t trust the grin on his mama’s face at all, but he asked anyway.

“How?”

“By telling me the sex of my _grandchild_!” She was like a little kid at Christmas.  Although: when Isak had told her that he wanted to wait to tell her the baby’s sex until their lunch date in the week rather than divulge it over FaceTime she had been _furious_.  She had tried to cajole it out of him, but when Isak stood his ground she gave him the patented Valtersen pout and admitted defeat.

“I guess I could do that.” Isak agreed, rubbing his belly fondly.  As awful as it was standing up and walking around with his big belly, he could appreciate it while he was practically horizontal.

“My baby is 21 and he’s having his own baby, I just can’t believe it!” Marianne gushed not for the first time since Isak had told her the news.

“He is.” Isak smiled across the table.  “Congratulations, Mormor, you’re going to have a little granddaughter to run circles around you.” Isak waited for a few seconds and he swore he could _see_ his mum’s brain processing that sentence.

“A girl!” Marianne swooned, her hand flying to her heart.

“Ja, mama, we’re having a girl.  We even have her name picked.” Isak figured his mother deserved to know her granddaughter’s name after having to wait a _week_ to find out the sex.

“Her name?  _Already_?” Marianne’s eyes were wide, and with her hand still over her heart it made her look quite aghast.

“Is that- is that not normal?” Isak faltered.  He had expected his mother to be delighted with this extra bit of information, not stopped dead in her tracks.

“No, nothing like that!  I just wasn’t expecting you to have one so quickly, baby.  When I was pregnant with you I was convinced if we named you too soon we’d just jinx the whole thing, but that was silly.” Marianne was blushing so much that Isak was sure he could _feel_ the heat from her face from across the table.

“Would you rather…not know her name?” Isak felt like the wind had been well and truly taken out of his sails.

“No!” Marianne shook her head vehemently.  “It was just a silly superstitious thought I had; whatever is going to happen is going to happen regardless of when we name our babies.  I bet you’ve chosen the sweetest name too.” She leaned over and took his hand and Isak smiled warmly just thinking about it.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely positive.” Marianne nodded, still clutching his hand.

“Mama, meet Eira Bech Næsheim.” Isak said softly as he moved their hands to his bump.

“Eira.” Marianne whispered, looking at his bump with the same dreamy transfixed look that Even got.

“Eira.” Isak nodded, his breath catching in his chest as the baby gave a particularly enthusiastic kick.

“That’s beautiful.” Marianne nodded, wiping her eye discreetly as she moved back into her own seat.

“Thanks, mama.” Isak’s eyes were getting wet just seeing his mother’s tears and he was just wiping the last trickle of water away when the waiter came over and asked what they wanted.  Cue both of them doing the quickest menu check and hastily giving the waiter their order.

That seemed to snap them both out of baby mode, and for a while they talked about normal things.  She asked about his birthday, he asked about her gardening and if she had found any more courses she liked the look of, she asked after Even and Isak pretended to hate how much his mother adored his boyfriend.

It was everything Isak had needed with Even working more and more hours every day that week.  It was only after their food arrived and they were both eating that Marianne circled back to the baby.

“So…can I ask why daughter is a Bech Næsheim?” She asked slowly, pushing some of her salad around the plate like it was the most interesting thing ever.

“Oh.” Isak put his spoon down and licked the soup from the corner of his lip.  “It wasn’t anything to do with _you_ , mama.  I just…Valtersen was _his_ family name.  That’s not the name I want to continue.  Honestly, I’d be happier to be a Bech Næsheim as well if me and Ev ever did get married.  I don’t want my baby associated with _him_.  He doesn’t deserve that after what he did to us.” Isak’s mouth tasted bitter just mentioning his father and he hated it.

“I think that’s very reasonable.” At least his mother agreed with his decision.  He hadn’t even thought about how she’d react to _that_ part of Eira’s name.

“You know, I wanted to go back to my maiden name after he left.” Marianne announced after a few moments of silence.

“Really?” Isak had never known that.  He had never really thought of his mama as being able to think of rational things like that in the time after Terje abandoned them; it had felt like she just spiralled into madness.

“But I couldn’t stand the thought of having a different name to you.” She frowned down at her lunch.  “It was hard enough being that omega story that your parents warn you about, but the thought of going through all those hoops to at least take my own name back – to not still share something with the alpha who left me – when I’d never get his sign off to change _your_ surname too was just too much.  Your father had just left you; how would it have looked to you if I had changed my name and alienated myself from you too?” Marianne wiped at her eye again, and this time it was Isak who leaned over and took _her_ hand.

“I think you should do it, mama.” He made sure to catch her eye so she understood how serious he was.  “I’m not a child anymore; you shouldn’t have to stay a Valtersen for me.  You deserve to cut that tie from him.” He hated that people looked down on his mother – and he _knew_ it happened – for being dead-claimed.

He hated that it was a common enough occurrence that there was a _name_ for omegas like his mother.  Omegas whose alphas had left them high and dry and let their claiming bite die, leaving behind some poor omega who would never be the same and would have that term practically _stamped_ on their forehead.

Dead-claimed.  In some communities it was worse than a death sentence.

“Maybe I will.” Marianne smiled tearfully.  “You really aren’t my little baby any more.  I can’t believe how well you’ve grown, Isak.  Even after everything your father and I put you through you’ve grown up to be a strong capable man.” Marianne sniffed, but Isak was five steps ahead and trying not to drip tears into his soup from where he was leaning across the table.

“It’s all thanks to you, mama.  I got all that strength from you.” Isak felt about a breath away from a total breakdown.

“Everyone tries to raise a child better than they were raised themselves.  You and Even are going to give that little girl the most incredible life.”

***

Sleep was eluding Isak yet again.

He hadn’t had so much trouble sleeping since he was a teenager, but now he had his big belly to somehow work around he spent a good few hours every night trying to get comfortable.  He was pretty much limited to sleeping on his back now, which was a real bummer when he would usually sleep on his front.

It didn’t help that ever since he had had lunch with his mama a few days ago his brain had been buzzing like a beehive with thoughts he would really rather have kept in a locked box in some abandoned corner of his brain until he died.

Inability to sleep + unwanted thoughts + raging pregnancy hormones = long fucking nights for Isak Valtersen.

At least, that’s what he was trying to explain to Even at almost 3AM with tears all over his face while Even looked at him with concerned-verging-on-terrified eyes.

“Wait, start again.” Even blinked sleepily, his brain clearly totally disorientated from being woken up in the middle of a REM cycle by Isak’s crying.  He had tried to be quiet, he _really_ had, but tired hysteria got the better of him and he was a wreck.

“What did Marianne say that’s upset you so much?” Even still looked half asleep as he rubbed his eyes, but Isak was amazed that Even had been able to pull the main issue out from Isak’s tearful ramble.  His mate really was fucking incredible, which only made him cry more.

Isak had never felt more like he was totally falling apart at the seams.  Not even when he was in hospital near enough on his death bed from taking suppressants for so long.  That had nothing on what pregnancy was doing to him.

“About- about Eira taking your name.” Isak managed to sob out, his whole body shaking as Even pulled him into a hug.  Isak could feel his mate’s fingers threading through his hair in long slow movements just seconds later and some of the awful tight lump of emotion that had been sitting in his chest started to relent.

“She was upset about Eira not being a Valtersen?” Even sounded confused as someone who had just been told up was down and down was up.

“ _No_!” Isak exclaimed thickly, hating how emotional he was getting about it all.

“So… _what_ happened?” Even sounded more confused asking for clarification this second time than he had the first time and Isak felt terrible for confusing his just awake boyfriend with his early morning meltdown.

“She agreed that it was a good idea.” Isak sniffled, trying to get grip.  “Because she agreed that my dad was a shit.” That pulled another sob deep from Isak’s chest, forcing him to double over at the sensation of being completely hollow.

“Oh, baby.” Even seemed to understand as soon as Isak said the word _dad_ , and Isak had never been more grateful for his mate’s good heart.

“He was an alpha who just _left_ his family.  He just _left_ us like it was nothing.” The tears had finally stopped, but the hollowed out feeling of grief seemed to be there to stay in Isak’s chest.

“I’m 17 weeks pregnant – we’re barely into our fifth month – but I can’t imagine ever leaving Eira like he left us.  How could a parent just _abandon_ their baby?  I don’t- I don’t understand.” Isak shook his head quickly, suddenly very aware of how fast he was breathing and how his heart was racing.

“I don’t understand, Ev, I don’t understand, I don’t- I don’t…I _can’t_ -” Isak was totally losing control, his chest heaving as he wrenched himself away from Even to try to get some air.  It felt like someone had stomped on his windpipe.  His head felt hot and fuzzy and his heart was at least two sizes too big in his chest, stealing precious space from his lungs.

“Baby, I’ve got your inhaler.” Even’s hand was suddenly on his burning face and Isak opened his mouth to say something, but Even pushed the mouthpiece of his inhaler in instead of waiting to hear what Isak was going to gasp out.

Isak was sure his chest was collapsing in on itself.

He sealed his lips around the mouthpiece instinctively and felt himself shake as Even pushed the button and released the first puff of medicine.  Isak tried his hardest to relax enough to breathe some of it in, his shaking hand coming up to grip Even’s wrist where it was still resting near his jaw, staring desperately into Even’s eyes.  Even gave him the instructed ten seconds – Isak counted them in his head – and a couple of extra seconds too before he pushed the button down again.

Isak’s windpipe opened up and his lungs expanded while the rest of him deflated completely.

He melted into Even’s embrace, crying for a whole new reason.

“I’ve got you, it’s okay, just keep breathing.” Even rested Isak’s head on his shoulder and made sure Isak’s forehead was resting against his bite to help calm him down while he got his breath back.

Eventually Isak’s tears dried into nothing more than little hiccupping sobs, occasionally interrupted with an exhausted yawn, and his mind returned to him.

“I’m sorry.” Isak tried to keep the tears at bay, and the only way he could do that was to concentrate on how _acutely_ embarrassed he was about falling apart like that and probably scaring Even half to death.

“I’m such a fucking mess.” Isak’s lip trembled and he sunk his teeth into it to keep it still.

“Isak, you’re pregnant.” Even was shaking his head, Isak could feel the movement above his head.  “Of course it’s going to bring up feelings about your dad.” Even started running his fingers through Isak’s hair again and Isak sniffed, trying to keep himself together.

“We are not your father.  Neither of us is going to leave this family.” Even spoke so surely; it was like soothing balm on an agonising wound.  Isak had a suspicion that Even was trying to use his Alpha voice too, but either way it was working to calm him down and reassure him that his fears weren’t going to come to fruition.

“This is a family made on love, baby.” Even’s lips pressed to his forehead, and Isak closed his eyes so he could focus solely on that feeling and the comfort it brought him.

“I do love you so much.” Isak agreed, nodding meekly.

“And I love you too, angel.” Even promised.  “I love you even when it means giving you your inhaler at four in the morning and wiping your tears away and talking about the things that scare you when we’d both rather be asleep.” He continued as he lay Isak down on the bed and pressed soft kisses all over Isak’s tearstained face.

“Go to sleep, angel.  I’ll look after you both.”

The last thing Isak saw before he _finally_ passed out was Even putting his inhaler back in the bedside table and letting out a long sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS????
> 
> Marianne not changing her last name because she didn't want to have a different surname to Isak is actually based off my own mother after my parents divorced, so there's that haha sorry this chapter ended up so emotional but it needed to happen
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	18. I'll always come home to you, angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isak struggles with his omega, we see the return of the omega support group, and Isak reassures Even (5.5k)

“What was I going for?” Isak froze in the middle of the aisle and looked back at Even where he was delving inside the chest freezer, a job that Isak could no longer manage.

“Fuck, uh…” Isak’s brain was totally blank even though Even had only rattled off the few things off the list Isak could grab a mere _five_ seconds ago.  Isak had only taken about three steps before he had totally forgotten what he was venturing off for.  He looked around the shelves hopefully, as if he’d look at something and suddenly remember that _that_ was what he needed.

No such thing happened.

By the time Even came to meet him down the aisle Isak was still looking at the shelves, trying to force his memory to snap into action.

“I got us the nicest looking burgers; they were hiding _right_ at the bottom but they look like they’ll be worth it so- uh, Isak?” Even seemed to notice that Isak had his _deep in concentration_ face on and his voice trailed off, probably wondering what the hell Isak could be thinking about so hard in the middle of their weekly food shop.

“Is?” Even prompted again after a stretch of silence, wrapping an arm around Isak’s waist and looking at him worriedly.

“I forgot what I was meant to get.” Isak eventually muttered, keeping his eyes trained on the floor so he didn’t have to see his mate look at him like he was an absolute fucking moron.

“You forgot?” Even repeated.  “That’s alright; I forget stuff all the time.” Even gave his waist a squeeze and Isak relaxed a little.

“Yeah, but _I’m_ usually the responsible one.  The one who remembers stuff and makes sure we get everything done on time.” Isak leaned into Even’s embrace and let himself soak up the scent of his alpha to stave off his embarrassment.

“It’s about time you relaxed and let me be responsible enough for both- for all _three_ of us.” Even murmured in his ear.

Isak’s body reacted instantaneously.

He melted against Even, his omega practically purring at Even saying he’d take care of Isak and their baby, and felt himself getting wetter and harder in seconds.

“You like that, huh?” Even grinned and trailed kisses down the thin skin behind Isak’s ear all the way down to his mating bite.

“Yes.” Isak whimpered, hiding his face in Even’s hair.

“Let’s finish this shopping and then I’ll get you home and see just _how_ relaxed I can get you.” Even was licking over his bite in a way that was _so_ not appropriate for in public but Isak didn’t have enough brain power left to care.

“Ev…” He whined, pressing against his boyfriend helplessly.

“What is it, baby?” Even was practically purring as well at how quickly Isak’s omega had melted for him.

“I still don’t remember what I needed to get.”

***

“I can’t believe how long it took us to put all that food away.” Isak grumbled from where he had sprawled out over there sofa.

“Well, you _are_ eating for two.  It makes sense that we’d be buying more food.” Even teased.  He looked so happy that Isak didn’t have the heart to explain that that wasn’t really how it worked.

“I’m just a frump.” Isak grumbled, but his hands were splayed proudly over his bump.  As uncomfortable as he felt most of the time now he wouldn’t wish their baby away.

He still had rushes of fear that he’d lose their little miracle, and he’d pray desperately to any force in the universe that was listening that he stayed uncomfortable and fat for as long as Eira needed to grow.

But hell if his back didn’t ache like a bitch.

“You’re not a frump.” Even rolled his eyes as he settled next to Isak.  “You look incredible, baby.” He murmured, watching Isak heave himself closer to him and adjust himself comfortably against Even’s front.

“Well I don’t _feel_ incredible.” Isak huffed, watching Even’s arms wrap around his waist so he could rest his hands on Isak’s big belly.

“How about a back rub before I have to go to work?” Even offered, trailing kisses down the side of Isak’s face.

“Do you _have_ to go?” Isak knew he was whining, okay, but he really didn’t want Even to go.  He wanted his alpha right there with him helping ease all of his aches and pains and to feed him the blueberries he had been craving all day that they had finally got at the shop.

“Only if I want to get paid.” Even laughed quietly against Isak’s cheek and Isak’s frown deepened.

“Don’t laugh at me.  You’re leaving your pregnant omega home all alone; everyone knows you shouldn’t do that.” It was a low blow and Isak knew it, but he _hated_ being alone now that he was pregnant.  He absolutely despised it, and he forgot sometimes that Even didn’t like it either, but he had no control over it.

He felt like the more pregnant he got the stronger his omega became; he constantly found himself acting on instinct now, and his crazy high sex drive wasn’t helping the matter either.  Isak was terrified that by the time he reached nine months there would be no Isak left, just a doe-eyed omega trailing after his alpha.

“Isak, that’s not fair…” Even pulled back a little bit and the loss of contact was the worst thing Isak could imagine right then.

“I know it’s not.” He could feel his eyes getting wet and he hated it.  He didn’t want Even to think he was using tears as a weapon during an argument, if that was even what this was.

“You said you were okay with me finishing off this job in December.  Have you changed your mind?” Even’s eyes were roaming all over his face and Isak couldn’t even imagine what he’d find there.

“I don’t know.” Isak shook his head, wiping his eyes roughly.  “I just- I hate you being away so much.  It wasn’t so bad when I still had classes to go to and stuff, but now I have so much _time_ and you’re at work for so much of it and I miss you _so_ much when you’re not here.” Isak’s lip was trembling and he knew he was being ridiculous, and the embarrassment was too much.

He couldn’t even handle his boyfriend being away for eight or nine hours of work; what sort of needy disaster was he?  He struggled to his feet, one hand on his bump to try to soothe the ache in his belly and the other pressed on the sofa for leverage to get up, but the more distance he put between himself and the alpha he was probably driving up the wall the worse he felt.

“Baby, where are you going?” Even’s voice was a strange mix of exasperated and worried and it just made Isak cry more.

“I don’t know!  I don’t know _anything_ any more!” Isak hugged himself tightly, as if he could stop himself from falling apart if he just held on tight enough.

“What do you mean?” Even asked carefully, and Isak hated the way his boyfriend was watching him like a hawk.  Like he thought Isak was going to bolt for the door or something at almost 19 weeks pregnant.

“I can’t remember anything, Ev!  And my brain is pumping out so many omega hormones and I can _feel_ myself being needy and whiny and clingy and stupid, but I can’t help it and I’m terrified that by the time Eira’s here I’m just going to be an Isak-shaped container of omega instincts and hormones and nothing else!” His heart was racing so fast and his eyes were so blurry with tears that he couldn’t focus on anything but how goddamn awful he felt inside.

Even’s arms were around him in a heartbeat and Isak crumbled into the contact.

“That could never happen to you, Is, your personality is just too strong.” Even rocked him gently from side to side and Isak sniffled pathetically, trying to soak up his boyfriend’s scent.

“Besides: you were the neediest boy in the world _before_ you got pregnant.  Being pregnant is just making what was already there more intense, okay?  That doesn’t mean it’s going to get increasingly worse, or be permanent, okay?  You’re always going to be Isak.  _My_ Isak, not just some omega husk.” Even’s fingers were tangling in the hair at the back of Isak’s head and it was so grounding that Isak just melted further into his man.

“Your Isak.” Isak nodded tearfully, burying his face in Even’s neck.

“How about I scent you up really strong and we make you a nest, huh?  Then you can still feel close to me while I’m at work?” Even offered.  Relief rushed through Isak like water through a broken dam; that was _exactly_ what he needed.  He was glad that Even could still think clearly while Isak was just falling apart.

“Please.” Isak nodded tiredly, nosing at Even’s bite.

“C’mon, we’ll do it in bed so you can be comfy all night.” Even walked him through to their room slowly, holding him so tenderly that it brought fresh tears to Isak’s eyes, until they made it to their bed and he gave Isak a gentle nudge to lie down.  Isak was too emotionally drained to be embarrassed about how he clung onto Even and pulled him down onto the bed with him, and Even didn’t comment on it either.

“Let’s get you out of all these clothes.” Even tutted before gently getting rid of Isak’s maternity shorts, pressing soft kisses along the red mark across Isak’s bump where the waistband had rested.

“Shirt on or off?” Even asked as he toyed with the hem of Isak’s shirt, looking up at Isak through those long lashes that Isak loved.

“Off, it’s hot today.” Isak really couldn’t handle the heat now that he was carrying all the extra weight.  He sat up a bit to help get rid of his shirt, and once it was off he pulled Even up so he was lying on top of him.  Even made sure to keep himself off of Isak’s bump: holding himself up with the arms that had never failed to make Isak feel safe, and Isak couldn’t resist running his fingers up and down the soft skin of Even’s inner arms.

“I’m losing my mind.” Isak whispered into the space between them.  Immediately Even dipped his head and nuzzled at his bite, and Isak relaxed beneath him.

“You’ve always been there for me when I lost my mind, Isak, and I’ll be there for you if you do lose yourself.” Even promised between sweet soothing kisses against the bite on Isak’s throat.  “But you’re the biggest fighter I know; I really don’t think that will happen.” Even nuzzled into his bite again and Isak was practically purring.

“You’re so strong, baby.  You show me that in new ways every day.” Even praised and Isak’s heart swelled in his chest.  “I’m so proud of you.  My incredible mate.” Even kept showering him with praise as he nosed at Isak’s throat and bit at his bite and made sure to cover his boy in his scent.

“You…you need my scent too.” Isak’s head felt like a cloud, but he knew he couldn’t send Even to work without smothering him in his scent too.  He needed _everyone_ to know that Even had a mate and a baby to come home to.  He wanted Even to _reek_ of his omega by the time he went to work.

“Here, we need-” Even broke off to roll off of Isak and lie down beside him and Isak shimmied into his mate’s side straight away.

They lay there for what could have been hours or maybe just minutes: tangled up together scenting each other until their room smelt like a damn heat house.  Isak almost cried when Even started moving away, but when Even spoke he felt a little better.

“What do you want to make a nest with, baby?” He was looking around their room for inspiration, but Isak knew it wasn’t really in an alpha’s wiring to know how to nest.  Hell, until Isak had got pregnant his only nesting experience had been during his heats and they were usually desperate and rushed.

Now he actually had time to think about what he wanted.

“Your big grey hoodie.” Isak struggled to sit up before getting off the bed and shuffling to the wardrobe, one hand on his back to dull the ache.

“Do you want me to warm you up a heat pack for your back before I go?” Even offered as Isak went through their clothes to find Even’s softest and most scent-drenched clothes to build his nest with and he huffed indignantly.

“No, I want you to rub my back like you promised.” He pouted.  There was also the fact that he didn’t want Even out of his sight before it absolutely had to happen, but it was mostly the backrub.

“Okay, baby.” Even laughed, moving off the bed to give Isak space to nest.  Isak just let his brain run on autopilot, piling and arranging Even’s clothes and their spare blanket that Even usually used on the sofa until he was content with his nest.

He rubbed his hair tiredly as he clambered back onto the bed and curled up in his nest, burying his face in one of Even’s shirts and tangling his fingers in Even’s blanket and letting the scent of his alpha seep into his brain and smooth out all the jagged edges.  He hadn’t expected his afternoon to be so emotional at _all_.

“Ready for your backrub, angel?” Even checked, and seconds later his fingers were stroking along Isak’s cheek in the softest of touches.

“Please.” Isak whimpered, his back aching even more at the thought of getting Even’s hands on it.  Thankfully Even was well practiced in backrubs, and he knew exactly where Isak held all of his tension and quickly figured out which parts of his back needed some attention to counteract the weight he was carrying on his front.

Isak very quickly felt himself melting into his nest under Even’s hands; his eyes drifted shut and he couldn’t stop rubbing his fingers into the soft fabric of Even’s blanket, well and truly surrounded by Even.

He had no idea how long they stayed like that, but he could feel the pain easing from his back the longer Even had his hands on him and it was absolute bliss.

“Is?  You asleep?” Even softly whispered an unknown time later.

“Mmm…” Isak hummed, not really sure if he was or not.

“I have to go now, baby.” Even sounded so sad and Isak hated it, but he was too close to the edge of sleep to be able to pull back and comfort his mate.  “I love you so much.  So, so much.” Even’s fingers were suddenly threaded through his curls and Isak sighed happily into the touch.

“You’re incredible.  I can’t wait to get back into bed beside you.” Even murmured, pressing a kiss to Isak’s forehead even though Isak was sure he was sweaty and gross from both the heat and his meltdown.

“Come home.” Isak mumbled into Even’s pillow.

“I’ll always come home to you, angel.” Even promised.  “I’ve got to go, but I should be home by midnight.  Love you, baby boy.” One more kiss was laid to Isak’s forehead and he took one last breath of Even’s scent fresh from the source.

“My Even.” He breathed out into his nest, vaguely aware of Even giving his hair one last stroke and the door opening and closing.

With the ache in his back well and truly rubbed out Isak fell asleep in seconds, surrounded by his absent alpha.

***

Isak had the room all set up for the meeting, and was enjoying a few minutes of quiet before the group started filtering in.  He had bagged himself a seat on the big squishy armchair so he didn’t have to worry about annoying anyone with how much he had to keep moving to stay comfortable.

It didn’t take long for the room to fill up with the usual crowd of omegas, some coming together and others still coming alone, and they all gave Isak some sort of hello as they got something to drink or grabbed some food and got a seat.

Isak prided himself on the laid back nature of the omega group now that he was running it.  When he had first attended it the leader had been sort of old fashioned; he had pushed the chairs and sofa into a sort of circle and he had insisted that each meeting they all took turns talking.

Sometimes he had even chosen topics of discussion, and some of them had been _awful_.  Isak remembered coming out of one meeting crying because they had been talking about how omegas were naturally taken advantage of and how the group had experienced that.  Even had been furious when he got home and found him crying in their bed.

Isak hoped that no one had ever left one of _his_ meetings feeling like that.

It was much more chill now.  It was more like an omega social group; there was food and drink and comfy food, and people just came in and talked to each other.  Sometimes it wasn’t even about being an omega; everyone just shared things that had happened in their week or since they had last been to a meeting.  Sometimes people even came and did their homework there, just enjoying the company of other omegas in a safe space.

There was no need to talk to everyone if you didn’t want to, but sometimes if people had something that was really bothering them they could ask for a whole group talk.

Which was exactly what Isak wanted to do today.

It had been a few meetings now since someone had asked for a whole group discussion, and that had been poor Heidi had had an awful experience with an alpha that had left her shaken and confused.  Heidi was the youngest in his group by far at barely 15, and the whole group tended to mother her.  Isak included.

He hoped he didn’t freak her out with what he wanted to talk about today, but he really needed to talk about it.  He let everyone have ten minutes of catching up and getting comfortable, he himself talking to Morten as they settled.  Morten was older than Isak by about eight years, and had cried when Isak told the group that he was pregnant and had continued to be very invested in Isak’s pregnancy.

“I actually want to talk to everyone today.” Isak said when Morten finally asked him how he was doing, moving on from 101 baby questions.

“I hope everything’s okay?” Morten’s face instantly clouded with concern and Isak nodded.

“Yeah, there’s just something I’m struggling with.  Even and the baby are fine.” He reassured his friend.  He knew Morten had had a lot of problems when he had been pregnant, but now he had a boisterous four year old boy and an alpha who was totally wrapped around his little finger.

“Okay.” Morten smiled and turned to talk to the girl next to him, and Isak gave them a minute before he cleared his throat loudly.

“Hey, there’s something I need to talk about today.  You guys down for a group today?” Isak addressed the room, and just like Morten all their faces filled with worry.  He figured that everyone assumed it was going to be baby related, as everyone knew his messy medical history.  He often used his experience as a warning story, so frequent members knew it well.

A murmur of _ja’s_ and nods went around the room, everyone suddenly focused on Isak where he was curled up in the armchair.  Heidi even put away her homework and stared at him with worried brown eyes.

“So you all know I’m pregnant.” Isak began, and the tension increased tenfold in the room.  “I’m almost at the end of my fifth month, and little miss in there is absolutely fine so you can stop worrying about _that_.” Several people let out relieved sighs and Isak gave them a weak smile.

“It’s just me struggling now.  I feel like my omega is totally taking over and I hate it.” Isak fiddled nervously with the blanket he had draped over his lap.  He knew he would need some nesting comfort for today’s meeting, and he had been absolutely right.

“Taking over how?” Heidi asked worriedly.

“It’s hard to explain.” Isak sighed.  “We all know ourselves and how many hormones our brains normally release and how much we personally follow our omega instincts, but now that I’m pregnant all my ‘normal’ levels have gone out the window.”

“Pregnancy’s like that for everyone.  Even sapien women are a mess when they’re pregnant.” One of the girls said, which sort of helped but mostly made Isak feel worse.

“I _am_ a mess.  I’m all over the place.  I don’t know how Even’s put up with me crying and breaking down over every little thing.  I’ve been annoying _myself_.”

“Oh please!” Morten scoffed from beside him.  “Even loves the bones off you!  He’d walk through fire for you; a few tears and your hormones going crazy won’t change that.” He continued.

“It’s not about Even though.” Isak shook his head, feeling his frustration mounting.  “It’s about _me_.  I feel like I’m losing what makes me _Isak_ and just becoming 100% omega.  That’s not who I am.” Isak shook his head.

“Isak, you’re only pregnant _because_ you’re an omega.” Christian, a guy about Isak’s age, pointed out.  “It’s only logical that while you’re doing this _omega-only_ thing that your omega instincts get stronger?”

“I…hadn’t really thought of it like that.” Isak blinked.

“Yeah, think about it: if you were a beta you and Even could be doing it bareback ten times a day getting knotted every time and you’d never have to worry about getting pregnant, so you’d always be the same.  But you’re not; you’re an omega and you and Even managed to make a little life together and your omega obviously wants to _protect_ that life.” Morten chimed in, making Isak blush at his vivid imagery.

“What are you doing that you don’t like?” Nina, an older woman, asked curiously.

“Ugh.” Isak’s face felt hot all over.  “I just feel like I’ve become _so_ dependant on Even.  Like, the other night he had to go to work and I completely fell apart crying and we had to scent for ages and I had to make a _nest_ just to be able to cope with him being away at work.”

“And you’re used to being the strong independent one.” Nina noted.

“It’s just such an _old_ instinct.” Isak felt so frustrated and embarrassed with himself.  “Yes, omegas _used_ to need alphas to ensure their babies were safe and protected and that outside threats didn’t get to them, but we aren’t living in that time any more.  Loads of omegas raise their children alone; I shouldn’t have to need Even so much.  He has a life outside of me that he deserves to live.  He shouldn’t have to put everything on hold just because I’m pregnant.  And I don’t want to be tied to my alpha 24/7; that’s never been who me and Ev are.” Isak shook his head despairingly and Morten took his hand comfortingly.

“You’ve never been pregnant before either.” Heidi said, and Isak looked at her in confusion.

“What?”

“I mean, you’ve said that you and Even used to have more space and stuff.  But you’ve never been pregnant before.  _And_ you almost died in hospital.  _You_ know that Even loves you; _I_ think your omega is just holding onto that love and relying on it because it’s the one thing that’s consistent.” Heidi explained, colour rising up her face the longer she spoke.

Isak was so proud of her.  When she had first joined at 13 she had been too scared to speak in a small group, let alone raise a point in a whole group discussion.

And what a point it was.

“That’s…really clever, Heidi.” He smiled at her, his hand unconsciously moving to his bump under the blanket.

“That’s just what I think.  This group has taught me so much, and one thing I’ve learned is that we should trust our instincts.  They’re there to guide us and keep us safe.  I think yours are trying to tell you that your alpha will look after you and your baby, so obviously you want to keep him close.  You loved Even a lot before you were pregnant, maybe being pregnant is just making what was already there stronger.” Heidi pulled nervously at her blanket and Isak smiled at her.

“I’m really glad that’s something you’ve taken from being in this group.” He wished that _he_ had known that at her age.

“Maybe you’re right.  Maybe I should be focusing more on what’s staying the same then fixating on all the things that are changing that I can’t control.”

If there was one thing that Isak could rely on to stay the same, it was his and Even’s love.

***

“We need to buy more of your cocoa butter next time we shop.” Even told him as they got into bed.  They had just got out of the bath they had shared and Isak felt so warm and content that there wasn’t anything that could have got him down.

“Okay.  I won’t remember that.” Isak pointed out.  He reached for the little notepad he had started keeping by their bed and he added _buy more cocoa butter_ to his shopping list at the back.  He had resorted to writing everything down to try to remember it, but it wasn’t really doing much because Isak just forgot that he had written stuff down.

But it made him feel better that he was _trying_ to do something about it.

“How’s your beautiful belly after our bath?” Even was grinning ear to ear and Isak pulled on some of his pyjama shorts before lying down on their bed spread eagle so Even could see for himself.

“God, I wish I could live in this moment forever.” Even licked his lips and Isak watched with delight as his alpha’s eyes darkened as he took him in.  Even’s stare never failed to make Isak feel like the most beautiful thing in the fucking world.

“I wish you’d get over here and help me rub that cream over my stretch marks.” Isak retorted, stretching an arm out to try to get the tube of cream Even was holding.

“Oh, right.” Even blinked, suddenly remembering what they were meant to be doing.  Ever since Isak had found his first stretch mark all those weeks ago they had tried to apply cream over them before bed every night, because as much as Even loved how Isak’s body was changing and growing Isak didn’t really want really vivid stretch marks forever.

Even tugged on some shorts as well before sitting cross legged on the bed next to Isak, his damp hair all his face and making him look so damn soft and kissable that Isak couldn’t resist reaching up and pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.

“I love you so much, Ev.  You’re my rock.” Isak whispered as he lay back down, watching the way Even’s eyes softened.

“And you’re mine.” Even cupped his cheek easily in one big hand and Isak turned and nuzzled his face into the touch.  “Love doesn’t feel like a big enough word for what I feel for you and Eira.” Even was looking at him like he had lit the sun and ignited galaxies single handed and Isak’s breath caught.

“I know exactly what you mean.” He nodded, pushing some of Even’s wet hair away from his eyes.  “C’mon, let’s put this cream on so we can go to sleep.  You were at work so late yesterday.” Isak was also exhausted, but that was neither here nor there.

“You got it.” Even smiled, popping the cap of the cream.  He squeezed some onto his index finger before carefully rubbing it over the first mark he found.  Isak let his eyes drift shut, trusting Even not to miss any of his stretch marks.  He used to try to help, but the bigger he got the harder he found it to angle his arm to be able to properly rub the cream into some of his stretch marks so Even had insisted on doing it solo.

“How was group today?” Even asked as he methodically worked over Isak’s belly, steadily filling the room with the smell of coconuts.

“It was really good.  I got a lot of good advice.” Isak smiled, keeping his eyes closed.  He didn’t need to see Even’s face to know his reaction.

“I’m really glad.  I know you’ve been having a hard time.  I’m sorry I can’t do more.” At that Isak did open his eyes.

“Ev, wait.” He grabbed Even’s wrist and stopped him from rubbing more cream into his skin, making sure he had his mate’s attention.  “You couldn’t possibly be doing anything more, or doing any better.  You’re doing everything right for me and Eira, okay?  We are so lucky to have you looking after us.” He laced his fingers through Even’s, even though they were slick with cocoa butter.

“Really?” Isak hated how uncertain Even sounded.  He hated that he had put that doubt in Even’s mind.

“Really.” He nodded.  “All these things I’ve been struggling with…they’re internal things.  _My_ daddy issues, _my_ omega, _my_ all over the place hormones.  They’re things inside of _me_ that have stressed me out, and in turn I guess stressed you out when I end up crying all over you about them.  But I swear, you are doing _everything_ right.  You’re amazing at all of this.” Isak struggled to sit up and he wrapped his arms around Even’s neck, ducking his head to kiss over Even’s bite.

“Thank God.” Even sounded a little choked up, and he buried his face in Isak’s damp hair and Isak could feel him taking deep breaths in to fill up on Isak’s scent.

“I’m sorry if I made you doubt that.  You’re incredible.” Isak whispered against his bite between kisses.

“I’m glad you think so.” Even was smiling into his hair, Isak could feel it.

“Let’s finish this cream stuff so we can cuddle and go to sleep.” Isak yawned, tucking his face into Even’s bite for a few seconds before realising that that was a terrible idea if he wanted to stay awake.

“That sounds like heaven.” Even agreed.  He laid Isak back down, gently unhooking Isak’s arms from around his neck before he squeezed some cream onto Isak’s hand so he could rub it into the easier accessed stretch marks.

Isak just about managed to do his section before he started nodding off on the bed.  Most of his nest was gone now – either worn by Even or hung back up – but the blanket remained and whenever Isak was on it he fell asleep in record time.

He was struggling not to fall asleep before Even joined him when he heard the lid of the cream flipped shut and the tube being tossed on the bedside table and he tried to open his eyes, but they were just too heavy.

“Just you and me again, Jellybean.  Your poor papa is wiped out tonight.  He always is after a bath.” Even’s fingers were trailing over his bump, and Isak wished that Even could feel Eira moving but they still had a few weeks to go before they’d get there.

“I love you both so much.” Even settled down on the bed, rolling Isak into their new pregnancy friendly sleeping position and keeping his hand splayed protectively over Isak’s belly even though it was covered in cream.  If Isak wasn’t half convinced he was dreaming he would have said something, but as it was he just let out a long sigh and pressed back against Even.

He was on the cusp on well and truly falling asleep when Even’s voice pulled at his consciousness, and something told him to tune into what was happening.

“- _are my sunshine, my only sunshine_.” Even was singing so softly as he gently ran his hand over Isak’s bump, and Isak’s heart ached with how much he loved his mate.

“ _You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you._ ” Even tucked his face into Isak’s curls, his usual sleeping position, and Isak could feel his lips move as he whispered the final line.

“ _So please don’t take my sunshine away_.” Even kissed Isak’s hair gently before burying his face there and letting out a long exhale, settling in for a good sleep.  Isak tried to speak, but his brain and his mouth were thick and disconnected with sleep so he gave up his efforts.

 _You’re my sunshine too, Evy_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS????????
> 
> I wrote most of this in one day and I'm kinda tired, so sorry if it has a weird feel to it haha I could have uploaded it with just the two scenes but I really didn't want another all sad chapter so I kept writing and added the other two scenes (the singing at the end is something I've been wanting to include for aaaaaaaaaages so I'm glad it's finally in!)
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	19. (EVEN) I love you MORE, Isak Valtersen!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A minor altercation on the tram and the 20 week scan! (3k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the 20 week scan is usually the longest scan so the scene got a bit long, but I hope I didn't make it too over the top or boring haha let me know what you think!

Nothing could dampen Even’s mood today.

Not the fact that Isak had forgotten they had their 20 week scan today, not the fact that Even was technically using his break time to go for the scan with Isak and had to rush his very pregnant mate to get ready in time seeing as he forgot about the appointment, not the fact that they missed their tram by a mere ten seconds and Isak had given him a tearful apology because it was his not being ready that made them missed the tram, and not even the fact that he’d have to see Eriksen in order to see Eira’s scan.

Quite simply: it was going to be a good day.  A gloriously sunny Thursday in early July with his beautiful boyfriend by his side on the way to see their miracle baby; how could it have been anything _but_ a good day?

“It’s really hot.” Isak panted against his side, pulling Even out of his appreciation of the day.

“I know, baby, the next tram is in a few minutes though.  We don’t have to wait long.” Even passed Isak his bottle of water, knowing how much his mate was struggling in the summer heat with his big pregnant belly and extra weight.

“Thanks.” Isak mumbled before taking a big drink from the bottle, slumped against Even’s side on the bench.

“Nearly there.” Even ran his fingers through Isak’s curls gently to help the air move through and keep Isak’s head cool as he checked his watch.

“It’s coming now, I can hear it.” Isak perked up a little and raised his head from Even’s shoulder, and sure enough the tram poked out from around the corner.

“Right, time to move.” Even sprung to his feet and gripped Isak’s hand, helping his boyfriend to his feet as the tram slowed to a stop in front of them.  They shuffled on at Isak’s pace with the few others at their stop, and Even was startled by how busy the tram was for the time of day.  After a quick survey as the doors closed behind them Even was dismayed to see that there were no seats left in their compartment.

That dismay quickly turned to anger when no one offered his heavily pregnant and _clearly_ exhausted mate their seat, and instead left Isak holding onto one of the poles using his free hand to support his back.

Even was _not_ having that.

“Excuse me.” He said to the guy on the seat nearest him.  “My boyfriend is obviously pregnant and tired and you’re in a priority seat, so do you mind getting up so he can sit down?” He asked in his politest voice, but his annoyance was bubbling close to the surface.

Said annoyance quickly bubbled over when the guy looked over at Isak and pursed his lips in clear disdain.

“You don’t seem to have a problem with the _other_ pregnant people sat down.” Even’s temper flared.  “Is that because they’re all traditional sapien looking pregnancies?  Do you have a problem with my _boyfriend_ being pregnant?” By the end of his sentence he realised that his voice had gotten considerably louder than was necessary – sure the tram was busy but no one was actually _talking_ – and he had attracted the attention of most of the compartment.

At least the guy had the decency to look embarrassed at being called out on his prejudice.  He got up and moved to the other side of the pole to Isak and gestured for him to take the now vacant seat, and Even took the hand from Isak’s back and helped him over to the seat so he didn’t lose his balance.

Isak’s face was even more flushed than it had been outside and Even passed him the water bottle again worriedly.

“Thanks.” Isak said quietly, taking another long drink from the bottle before screwing it shut and closing his eyes.

“We’ve only got a few more stops to go.” Even watched the world go past the windows from where he was stood next to Isak, enjoying a few moments of calm.  Isak hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t bother saying anything, clearly too tired for verbalising.  Even kept fingers threaded through Isak’s for the rest of their time on the tram, enjoying such simple contact with his mate.

The stop before theirs the guy Even had to oust out of the priority seat gets off, and when he glances back at them Even makes sure to give him a little wave.  That seemed to startle him if the way he stopped dead and his eyes widened, and Even couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him as the doors closed on the guy’s shocked face.

“Are you feeling okay, Ev?” Isak asked from his seat and Even looked down happily.

“Yeah, babe, you know I just can’t stand people like that.  It’s nice to make _them_ feel a little bit uncomfortable for once, y’know?” Even shrugged it off and tried not to feel nettled by the way Isak was still watching him.

“Okay.” Isak gave his hand a squeeze, and all was right with the world.  The tram slowed down again for the next stop and Even turned around to get ready to help Isak up, sharing a smile with his boyfriend as Isak lurched right into him as the tram stopped.

“Ready to see our little girl again?” Even grinned, enjoying the way Isak’s face softened.

“So ready.”

***

“Okay, boys, how are we doing?” Eriksen was straight to business today, which suited Even down to the ground.  Regardless of having to be back to work soon the less time spent with their doctor the better in Even’s mind.

“I can’t believe I’m 20 weeks pregnant.” Isak looked so dazed; Even just wanted to wrap him up away from the world.  This moment felt too intimate for Eriksen to be part of.

“I feel like my bump is huge and my back hurts a lot.  I was looking at pictures of other people at 20 weeks and some of them were barely showing!”

“Bump size varies from person to person and baby to baby.” Eriksen nodded.  “Male omegas do tend to look bigger in their pregnancies as they’re naturally slighter than female omegas, so I’m not surprised that you’re finding your bump bigger than the people in those photos.”

“Okay.” Isak was holding onto his hand so tightly but he _looked_ mollified by the doctor’s explanation.

“Don’t worry about it, baby, I think your big belly looks incredible.” Even raised their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Isak’s hand, watching the blush that rose up his boy’s face.

“I know you do.” Isak shook his head fondly before turning back to the doctor.

“So did you get the results of the amniocentesis check from my last scan yet?” He asked, hopefully not noticing how Even shuddered at the memory.  Watching that huge needle press into his mate’s fragile belly had almost been too much for his nerves.

“That was the next thing I was going to talk about; you read my mind, Isak.” Eriksen smiled but Even couldn’t bring himself to smile back.  Eriksen _wished_ he was close enough to Isak for him to have read his mind.

“Your test came back perfectly fine; no signs of any of the defects we look for with that test.” Eriksen told them, and Even could feel Isak exhaling with relief at the same time he did.

“Good.” Isak’s free hand moved to his bump and he covered it protectively.  Even couldn’t deny that he loved seeing his baby’s protective instinct in play, as primitive as it was.

“Any more questions before today’s scan?” Eriksen checked, although he was already getting the gel out.

“I don’t think so.” Isak looked at him for confirmation and Even shook his head, unable to think of anything pressing they had wanted to ask.

“My memory’s really gone out the window lately.” Isak said apologetically to their doctor and Even wanted to tell him that he had nothing to apologise for, but Eriksen got there first.

“That’s totally normal, as I’m sure you know.  It is frustrating, though.” Eriksen nodded.  “Ready, Isak?” He was hovering with the gel, which Even thought was a bit pressuring.

“Ready.” Isak confirmed.  “Are you ready, Ev?” Isak looked over at him, somehow managing to look beautiful even lying on a big hospital chair.

“If you’re ready, I’m ready.” He smiled, bringing Isak’s hand up for another kiss.

“Okay, boys, you know this scan is also known as the anomaly scan?” Eriksen said conversationally as he spread the gel across Isak’s belly, as if the word _anomaly_ wasn’t a bucket of ice water over Even’s head.  Of course they had both researched ahead of the scan, but the thought of something being wrong with Eira made Even’s heart clench up with fear.

“We do.” Isak whispered, his hold on Even’s hand tightening.

“I’m going to talk you through everything I’m looking at, okay?  This scan isn’t as scary as the name makes it sound.” Eriksen promised, but his words meant nothing to Even.  _If it isn’t as scary as the name makes it sound then why did you bother reminding us what it was called?  Isak doesn’t need that sort of stress._

The wand was pressed to Isak’s belly and all bad feelings were forgotten as Eira slowly came up on the monitor.

“Look at that.” Even breathed, moving closer to Isak.

“She’s getting so big.” Isak was holding onto him so tightly, but Even was pretty sure he was holding on just as tight to Isak.

“We’re going to start at the head and work down, okay?” Eriksen told them as he turned the monitor slightly so he could better see.

“Her head looks good; no problem with the structure or her brain.” Eriksen adjusted the wand slightly.  “No obvious signs of cleft lip.  Moving onto her spine.” Eriksen rolled his chair closer to the monitor and Even wished he could see the things that Eriksen’s trained eye could see when he looked at these scans.

Mostly so that he didn’t have to have Eriksen there at all.

“Spine looks properly aligned and covered; all good.  All the chambers of her heart are the same size and you can see them opening and closing here.” Eriksen pointed it out for them and Even only got a few seconds of looking in awe before his attention was pulled away by Isak crying.

“Sorry, just ignore me; they’ll stop in a minute.” Isak sniffled, wiping at his face.  Even moved his hand away and wiped the last of Isak’s tears away himself.

“I could never ignore your tears.” He disagreed, pressing gentle kisses over Isak’s cheeks until there were no more tears to wipe away.

“Okay, I’m okay.  Keep going.” Isak gave his eyes one last wipe and shot Even an embarrassed grateful look and Even smiled back at him.

“Absolutely fine, Isak.  Nothing to be embarrassed about.” Eriksen said as he moved the wand a little.  “Moving on from her heart, everything in her stomach looks normal.  That black bubble is just some of the amniotic fluid she’s swallowed; nothing to worry about.  Her bladder is getting full, just down here.” Eriksen pointed to it for them.

“I know the feeling.” Isak laughed weakly and Even laughed, pressing another kiss to the back of Isak’s hand.  He was so proud of his boy for being able to laugh when he knew how stressful Isak found these scans.

“Yeah, this is always the longest scan.  I’ll be as fast as I can so you can empty _your_ bladder, Isak.” Eriksen smiled and Even just rolled his eyes at the bad joke.

“I can see two kidneys, and they both seem to be doing their job just fine if that bladder is anything to go by!  Moving onto her limbs…both arms and legs look the same size.  Taking a closer look at those hands and feet.” Eriksen adjusted the wand yet again and squinted.  “Okay, fingers and toes all look fine.  I’m just going to take a few measurements of your little gal to make sure she’s as big as she should be.” Eriksen looked from the monitor to his little pad of paper a few times and jotted some numbers down before turning back to them with a big smile.

“Congratulations, boys, your baby is looking perfectly healthy!  Your placenta’s still quite low, Isak, but you were already scheduled in for multiple scans so we’ll check it again at your 24 week scan, okay?  It’s nothing to be concerned about; there’s still plenty of time for it to move on its own.”

“Are we done?” Isak was staring at the monitor so wistfully that Even couldn’t resist leaning in and giving his sweet little mate a sweet little kiss.

“Would you like a photo of this scan?” Eriksen offered, and Even was nodding before Isak could say anything.

“Two, please.” He sat up with Isak and helped his boyfriend clean the gel off of his belly and get off the chair.

Five minutes later they were all packed up with their photos in hand and Eriksen was waving them goodbye until their next appointment, and Even let out a long sigh of relief.

“I swear he gets more annoying every time we see him.” He said to Isak after a quick visit to the toilets.

“Just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he’s _actually_ annoying.” Isak gave him a placating pat to the arm as they left the hospital and Even just sighed.  He wished Isak could see Eriksen the way Even did, just once, but he knew that was unlikely seeing as Isak was convinced it was all in Even’s head.

Hell, maybe it was.

“I’m glad you figured out a way to come with me for the scan.” Isak smiled over at him on their way back to the tram stop.

“As if I’d miss it.” Even shook his head, snaking an arm around Isak’s thick waist and pulling him closer to his side.  “I hate having to leave you after it, though.” He looked wistfully at the tramline as if it would magically produce a reason why he didn’t have to go back to work, but no such miracle occurred.

“It’s okay, babe, not every scan was going to work out with your shifts.  I think we’ve been pretty lucky so far.” They sat together on the bench and Isak laid his head on Even’s shoulder, and Even couldn’t resist stroking those soft curls while they were still in his reach.  He kept one arm firmly wrapped around Isak’s middle so he could keep his hand over Isak’s beautiful bump and he thought about what Isak had said.

“I guess.” Even agreed after a few seconds.  That didn’t mean that he had to _like_ it though.

“Can you bring some melon home tonight for after dinner?  We haven’t had melon in ages.” Isak was tracing idle patterns on Even’s forearm with his fingertips and Even wished there was an art medium capable of capturing the feeling he had right then: sat in the sunshine with his mate so soft and sweet in his arms and their baby resting beneath the palm of his hand.

He hadn’t painted in so long.  Maybe now was the time to break the canvas back out.  Isak’s radiance was certainly more than inspiring.

“Sure.  Any other requests?” Even knew Isak was still getting cravings.

“Maybe some more oranges?  And some more strawberry ice cream?” Isak looked so hopeful.

“You got it.” He promised, dipping his head and running his nose along Isak’s lightly.  “Strawberries and orange ice cream, and melon for dinner.” He nodded solemnly, but the moment Isak laughed his façade cracked and he grinned down at his boy.

“You’re just hopeless.” Isak bumped their noses together gently, and even if he had sounded mad Even wouldn’t have believed it because of the soft adoring look on his face.

“The hopeless love of your life.” Even winked, pretending that he couldn’t hear the tram approaching.

“You always give me hope, so you can’t be _that_ hopeless.” Isak gave him a quick kiss before pushing himself onto his feet, and Even felt like his heart was breaking.

“Miss you already, baby.  See you at dinner.” He couldn’t bear to let go of Isak’s hand, the last place they were still connected.

“Have a good day at work, Ev!  I love you!” Isak called as he moved towards the tram.

“I love you _more_ , Isak Valtersen!” Even cupped his hands and hollered back as Isak found a seat on the tram, watching the way his boyfriend went bright pink in response just before the doors slid shut.

Even let himself watch the tram travel out of his eye line and out of hearing range before he finally sighed and got to his feet, and he knew Isak would call him a dramatic bitch if he could have seen him but dammit Even just wanted to be at home with his boyfriend today.

He supposed his work schedule wasn’t _too_ bad today: they were filming not too far away from Even’s usual stomping grounds, so he wouldn’t have a long commute home, and they had a lot of outdoor shots to get so he could enjoy the July sunshine that he was sure Isak was going to be hiding from.

In fact: from near the hospital Even wouldn’t even have to bus or tram to get to where they would be working, so he allowed himself to stroll through the familiar streets and side roads in the sun.  He was almost at the location when something caught his eye and he stopped suddenly in the middle of the pavement.

He checked his watch and immediately disregarded it, pushing the shop door open.

A little shopping never hurt anyone, did it?  Especially not when Even had seen the most _perfect_ thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS?????????
> 
> I actually had one thing in mind for what Even saw in the shop but as I was writing it I was like oh shit this could be interpreted so differently??? so now I don't know what I'm gonna have him buying but I wonder if any of you guys have guesses????
> 
> Remember you can request scenes; I have a list on my phone and intend to find a way to work them all in!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	20. I have to paint you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even's recent behaviour comes to a head (2.4k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter does cover Even's manic episode at its peak, if anyone wants to avoid that! it's not the worst episode in the world, but obviously it may be upsetting for some people so this is your head's up if you wanna skip

It had been almost a week since their scan and Isak’s heart was aching.  He had had suspicions when they went for the scan that Even was off, but now he could say for certain that Even was spiralling.

He had come home most days since telling Isak how everyone he worked with was an idiot and how he could do the whole project so much better by himself (when normally he was full of praise and anecdotes about his colleagues), and then spending the whole night scribbling ideas away in his notebook.

When Isak had tried to get him to put it away and go to sleep Even had given him a look that clearly said _that’s a stupid idea and I will do no such thing_ before scoffing that Isak wouldn’t understand because he wasn’t a creative person and he should just go back to sleep while Even worked.

It never got easier to watch Even have an episode, as rare as they were for him.  It didn’t even help that they had both expected the pregnancy to trigger something, because clearly Even hadn’t noticed the signs this time.

The last straw for Isak was when he got a phone call from the bank asking for verification on a transaction of over 13,500krone in a local maternity and baby shop on their joint credit card.  Sure they were _comfortable_ with their cash, but not comfortable enough to drop that much money out of nowhere without _talking_ about it first.

His heart hurt as he explained to the bank that the other card holder was having a manic episode and to cancel the transaction, because he knew that Even must have been _so_ excited buying things for their baby.  Isak figured it was probably furniture for a nursery they didn’t actually have from how much Even had tried to spend.

The next thing Isak had to do was phone Even’s supervisor.

He used to worry about doing this, but after they moved in together and Even had a big episode they had agreed that if Isak could see he was having an episode and Even couldn’t then Isak was allowed to phone his boss to explain.  It helped that as they had got older Even had become more open about his bipolar, disclosing it at interviews and mentioning it to his immediate colleagues, so there had been times when the people he worked with noticed it and tried to help damage control too. 

So Isak phoned Vern, a nice sounding guy that Even had said was in his late thirties with two kids at home, and explained what was going on.  It wasn’t really a shock when Vern wasn’t surprised, but he dreaded to think what Even had done at work.  He knew that when he was manic Even could come across as a bit of a dick if you didn’t know, but Isak hated the thought of people judging and whispering about his boyfriend when Even was the kindest and sweetest person in the world when he wasn’t ill.

The worst part was that he knew how much Even loved his job.  When they had offered him this paid apprenticeship straight out after he graduated they had celebrated all night – and pretty much for the whole weekend after – and he had been so excited.  That excitement hadn’t even faded in all the time Even had been working with them; he was still enthusiastic and full of ideas and _so_ dedicated.

If he had done something that had jeopardised that Isak knew he’d be beyond devastated, and honestly Isak would be too.

Vern told Isak that he’d already been thinking of sending Even home and bringing someone in to cover, and after giving Vern some tips on how best to phrase it so Even didn’t think he was being sent home because he was manic – if Even hadn’t spotted it himself he would just react badly to Vern being honest like that – Isak hung up and lay back on their bed.

He was once again surrounded by Even’s clothes and their spare blanket, trying to get some rest to make up for another restless night.  Eira, unfortunately, had other plans.  She was moving _so_ much that Isak was starting to think she was rehearsing some sort of complex gymnastic routine under his diaphragm.  As odd feeling as it was it was also sort of comforting, knowing his baby girl was happy and healthy in there.

He felt bad that he was going to use it to entice Even home, but he could really do without his boyfriend getting distracted and wandering off in the middle of an episode.  He had one hand resting on his bump, using the rhythm of Eira’s movements beneath his palm to calm himself, and the other on his phone.

Isak (10.14)

_your baby girl is moving so much today_

_think she’s getting restless in there!_

_should I break it to her that she has 3 more months before she can come out?_

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (10.18)

_they don’t need me today baby I’m coming home_

_want to see if I can feel her moving yet!!!!_

_see you soon <33333_

Isak couldn’t stop smiling as he read Even’s messages, hoping for Even’s sake that he would be able to feel Eira moving.  He knew that Even had been waiting desperately to be able to _feel_ his baby, and he couldn’t wait to see Even’s face when it finally happened.

Isak let himself doze as he waited for Even to come home, really wanting to catch up on at least _some_ of the sleep he had lost last night.  He wasn’t sure how much time passed before he was aware of the door opening and being slammed shut, but it felt like no time at all before Even’s whistling was filling their flat.

It was almost as if Eira _knew_ her daddy had come home, because as soon as Even’s singing drifted through the flat Eira’s movements became even more enthusiastic.  Isak shuffled over to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over, taking a few seconds to brace himself for all the energy that he was about to be greeted with, and with one last sigh he got out of the cosines of his nest.  With one hand braced on his ever-aching back Isak walked out of the bedroom to find his boyfriend.  
  
“Even?  Baby?” He called as he went into the hallway.  It sounded like the singing was coming from the kitchen, and sure enough there he found his boyfriend already surrounded by half of their pots and pans.  
  
“You’re making lunch?” Isak smiled, as if that was a totally normal amount of cooking equipment to be out, and leaned against the kitchen doorframe.  
  
“We have to have a good lunch together seeing as we get to _have_ it together today!” Even exclaimed, turning around quickly.  The moment Even saw him his eyes widened, and whatever words had been bubbling on his tongue died.  
  
“What?” Isak was instantly self-conscious and thinking of all the terrible things Even might have noticed: the bags under his eyes, the extra weight, the general tired look that Isak had about him now that Eira’s gymnastics were keeping him awake.  
  
“You look...incredible.” Even was staring at him with such wide eyes that Isak was a little bit worried his eyeballs were just going to fall right out of his head.  
  
“I was half asleep in bed; I’m wrinkled and sleepy at best.” Isak rolled his eyes, but Even kept staring at him with all that intensity and it was making him flush.  
  
“No, you look _stunning_.  And in that light?  I have to paint you.” Even was already moving past Isak to the bedroom where he kept his art things, abandoning the stove as if it wasn’t a huge fire hazard.  Isak turned everything off and put the pans away quietly before he followed Even back to their room.  
  
“Some things just _have_ to be preserved on a canvas, y’know?” Even was babbling in a way that made Isak think he had missed a big chunk of conversation, but Even clearly hadn’t noticed that he had been alone.  Or he _had_ noticed, and just decided to talk to himself as he rummaged around for his box of painting things.  
  
It wasn’t unlikely.  
  
“Open the curtains, baby, you look stunning in the light this morning.” Even said as he found a canvas.  Isak almost wanted to tell to him to wait, because he knew that Even tended to save his canvases for _really_ special paintings, but he knew there was little point in trying to dissuade Even from something when he was like this.  
  
“Can I just like on the bed while you paint me?  I’m tired.” Isak yawned as he pulled the curtains open and let the sunshine in.  Oslo looked scorching beyond their window; Isak was glad that Even’s episode was so far contained to their cool comfortable flat.  
  
“Yeah, you’ll probably be stiller that way any way for me to paint you.” Even had his pencil ready and poised in his hand and Isak shook his head in embarrassment as he crawled back into his nest.

Why did his mate have to be such a sappy artist?  What if Even really liked the painting after his episode was over and they had to _keep_ it?  Doodles were one thing, but a whole _painting_ was something else entirely.  
  
“Perfect.” Even looked delighted when Isak looked back over at him, but all Isak could see was the unhealthy brightness in Even’s blue eyes and the way those pretty eyes were darting all over the place unable to stay still for longer than a few seconds.  
  
Isak watched drowsily as Even sketched him onto the canvas, enjoy the soothing scratching of lead against canvas, and it was probably the most focused he had seen his boyfriend in days.

At least this was a _healthy_ project, Isak could comfort himself with that at least.  It wasn’t like when Even was convinced he was indestructible and had dangled himself out of their window precariously until Isak had managed to bring him back in.  
  
They could deal with Even painting.

It didn’t take long for Isak to doze off, comfy in his nest and content that Even was close by even if he _was_ in the grips of an episode, and he hoped that it didn’t interfere with Even’s painting too much when he fell asleep.  He was in the midst of a very confusing dream when his body suddenly jolted and Isak’s eyes snapped open in fright, his heart thundering and his arm coming up protectively over his belly, before he realised that it was just Even having thrown himself onto the bed.  
  
“You scared me.” Isak mumbled, his heart still in his throat, and Even’s bright wide eyes softened a bit.  
  
“I didn’t mean to scare you.  I just- I was looking at the shape of your bump to paint it right and I swear I saw it move.” Even explained in a rush that Isak’s sleep addled brain just about managed to interpret.  
  
“You saw it move?” Isak repeated blearily, rubbing his eyes and accepting that he wasn’t getting back to sleep now.  
  
“Yeah!  Not a _lot_ , not like some Alien shit or anything, but I swear it moved!” Even insisted, coming closer to Isak.  “And you said that she’d been moving a lot lately, right?  Maybe it’s finally time I can feel her move.” Even continued, and Isak was hit with a confusing mix of feelings.

Of course he wanted Even to share the feeling of Eira moving, but it seemed so unfair that Even’s first time was going to be tainted by this episode.  
  
“C’mere.” Isak took his mate’s hand regardless of his mixed emotions and placed it carefully over his belly, sliding Even’s hand to where he could feel Eira most.  Even’s face was the picture of enrapture, even though Eira’s gymnastic routine seemed to have hit a lull while Isak was half asleep.  
  
“That’s where I saw it move.” Even confirmed, watching their hands closely.  Isak felt like he didn’t breathe at all during the time they were waiting for Eira’s next movement and he hated it.  He hated not knowing what Even was going to do next or how he was going to react to things.  It set him on edge in a way that nothing else had ever achieved.  
  
“Maybe she’s gone to sleep.” Isak said consolingly a little while later, but Even shook his head.  
  
“Just a little longer; I have a good feeling.” He insisted, and Isak just nodded and lay back.  If they were in for the long haul he might as well be comfortable.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed them by as they lay there: their fingers laced together on Isak’s aching pregnant belly, Even’s painting forgotten and Isak’s nap ruined, but eventually Eira woke up and started shifting around restlessly.  It was only a minute or so after she started moving when she gave a particularly forceful shove and Even inhaled sharply as Isak let out a small surprised nose.

“I felt it!” Even exclaimed just as Isak was opening his eyes, before he could get the words out to ask if Even had felt that almighty kick.  Isak’s heart felt so fucking full seeing the delight on Even’s face and feeling how he pressed his hand a little bit harder to Isak’s bump as if he was chasing Eira’s movements.

The moment was quickly shattered when a serene smug look came over Even’s sweet features and he opened his mouth again.

“I thought about it and wished for it so much that I made it happen, baby.  Isn’t that cool?”

***

Even’s mood plummeted about two days later, but not before he practically upturned their room getting everything perfect for his painting of Isak, tried to cook them out of house and home, and somehow managed to spend another 4000krone online on his own card.

By the time the mania was over Isak was probably as exhausted as Even, and as he and Even’s parents worked together to sort out all of the mess Isak tried his hardest not to crumble right there and then and cry in the midst of all of Even’s started-and-just-as-quickly-abandoned mini projects.

All it took was Tove sitting him down and wrapping him in the spare blanket she had taken off of their bed – where Even was currently sleeping for Norway – for him to finally fall apart.

The hardest part was that as he wiped his eyes on their blanket he realised that it still smelt like Even, even though Even himself felt a universe away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS?????????
> 
> 13,500krone is about £1250 and 4000krone comes to just over £370 if anyone was wondering!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	21. Why don't you take a little walk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even's episode is almost over and Tove sends Isak out to clear his head with unfortunate consequences (1650 words)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is about 400 words shorter than my chapter word count minimum of 2k (sorry!), but only because I want to do a POV swap for the next scene and I didn't want to confuse everyone by making a chapter that changes perspective in the middle! I've already continued the scene in the start of my Even chapter, so don't worry!

The depression lasted about five days, but it wasn’t as bad as previous episodes Even had endured.  Tove and Johan stayed to help out – and sometimes take over when Isak needed to lie down too – and Isak loved them for it.

Between the three of them they managed to make sure Even didn’t fester in his bed all day: he came to sit at the table with them for lunch and dinner and he forced down his smaller-than-usual portion, they watched films and countless show episodes in the lounge so Even could flop somewhere that _wasn’t_ their bed, and every other day Isak dragged him into the shower with him so he didn’t turn into an oily/sweaty/greasy mess of sadness.

Even didn’t talk much, other than to mumble apologies, but Isak didn’t mind.  They didn’t need to talk for him to show his boyfriend how much he cared for him.  He had sprawled back on the sofa with Even’s head in his lap and stroked his worn out alpha’s hair; spent time in bed with Even when they both needed to rest and wordlessly pulled Even’s hands onto his belly so he could feel Eira moving; got Even into the shower and made sure they both got all clean.

The things that Isak didn’t need to say hung easily in the air between them, shown in every gesture.  _I love you, I’ll never stop loving you, it’s not a chore to look after you when you’re hurt, I love every part of you even if you don’t right now_.

Despite knowing he was doing everything he could and that this episode too would pass, it was still hard.  Made even _harder_ by the fact that Isak’s pregnancy hormones had him crying at the drop of a hat, so Tove and Johan had walked in on him crying more than once during the week.

“Why don’t you take a little walk?” Tove suggested when she caught him frantically wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, a defeated lump on the sofa.  “It can be hard not to get sucked into his episodes, even after years of practice.  Just get out of the house for a little bit and clear your head; remind yourself that there are things outside of Even.  Johan and I can man the fort for an hour or two. Even’s probably sleeping off the last dregs of this episode; you saw how he was up and about this morning!”

He _had_ seen it.  Even had helped his dad make breakfast and had engaged in some light conversation with them all before saying that he was tired and going for a nap.

“It wasn’t a bad one, and it’s nearly over now.” Johan agreed, appearing seemingly out of nowhere behind his wife’s shoulder and making Isak jump.  “You’ve not left the flat all week and that’s just not good for you.  Go take a little walk and we’ll see you in an hour.” Johan’s voice had a tone of finality to it and Isak’s lip trembled as he realised he was essentially getting the boot out of his own home.

They were probably sick of dealing with Isak being an emotional wreck on top of their son being depressed, and that humiliating thought was what made Isak move.

“Okay.” He gave his eyes one last rub to make sure they were dry – there had been a few occasions when Isak hadn’t even noticed he was crying so he felt compelled to check now – as he stood up, not looking his second parents in the eye.

“I’ll go visit Jonas at work.  Thanks...” He wasn’t really sure what to say after that, so he just went into the hallway and shoved his shoes on.  He grabbed his wallet off the table and double checked that his keys were in there before opening the door, and he could hear Tove and Johan calling after him that it was for his own good.

As he pulled the door shut with a quiet click so he didn’t wake Even, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d rather be curled up on the sofa with a tub of ice cream and one of Even’s hoodies instead.

***

It was too hot and Isak was uncomfortable.

His maternity clothes were hardly helping in the heat; being loose and airy to try to disguise his bump and growing figure meant that they had plenty of space to trap heat, and between the hot air and the heat running off of Isak there was plenty _of_ it to trap.

The loose material of his shirt was clinging to his sweaty skin, making his bump seem more prominent than ever in the exact _opposite_ of its purpose.  The only thing stopping him from thinking about how he probably looked like a whale out of water was the fact that he was only a street or two away from the cafe Jonas worked in over his summers.

He stopped at the crossing, leaning heavily against the pole and getting some worried looks from other pedestrians that he tried to ignore, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was staring at him.

Like, _really_ staring.

Isak wiped the sweat from his brow roughly with his forearm, hoping his pit stains weren’t going to be too bad, and glanced around nervously.

This was the worst position he could be in: a heat fatigued pregnant omega alone.

He doubted with the state of his clothes and his big belly that he’d be able to blend into the crowd either, and even if he _did_ it would be easy enough for a predatory alpha to catch his scent and follow it.  It all rushed through his mind in a matter of milliseconds as he wiped his forehead, trying to be subtle as he looked around for the person whose eyeballs he could feel practically _searing_ into him.

And then Isak saw him.

He was stood on the other side of the road, also waiting to cross when the traffic light finally went red, looking at Isak with his face curled up in disgust.

Terje Valtersen.

A thousand feelings rushed through him, but the strongest by far was fear. Cold, hard, heart-stopping fear.  His feet felt super-glued to the floor as the light changed colour and everyone started crossing, and he swore he could feel his blood pressure spike as Terje started crossing to his side of the road.

Isak still sometimes had nightmares about the last time he saw his father, and now here he was in the flesh and it was a thousand times worse.  The last time Isak had seen his father he was still swallowing down two suppressants a day and trying desperately to keep his mother together as she fell apart.

Isak had been scared and confused and his dad had just…left.  He just left them like they were nothing but an inconvenience rather than his mate and son, and now he was almost on the same side of the street as Isak after almost five years.

Isak was going to be sick.

It wasn’t until Terje was nearly right in front of him and he flicked his gaze to Isak’s 22 week pregnant belly and his face became even more disapproving that Isak snapped back to life.  He had to keep Eira away from this piece of shit; there was no way he was going to let his father anywhere _near_ his daughter.

Isak had never moved faster than he did to get away from his father on that sweltering July day.  He pushed past Terje, his skin burning where they connected, and hurried across the road and down the street until he was out of sight of the crossing.  He didn’t slow down until he got to the café Jonas worked at, and he was probably a hell of a sight when he _did_ get there.

He was sweating from walking in a hurry in the hot weather and his anxiety, and he was probably white as a sheet.  He couldn’t stop shaking, and when Jonas came through the door with drinks for one of the outside tables Isak definitely let out a sob of relief.  He knew for a fact that his dad wasn’t going to have cared enough to follow him, but just knowing that he had another alpha there to help him made him feel infinitely better.

“Are y- Isak?  Shit, sit down!” Jonas’ arm was suddenly around him and he let his best friend guide him into a chair in the shade.  He could feel shivers running through him and tears wetting his face, and although the fear was ebbing it was definitely still there making his chest ache.

He wanted to be at home having this meltdown in private, not falling apart in a stiff wooden chair with a dozen people trying to be subtle gawking at him.

“What happened?  Are you alone?” Jonas knelt in front of him and Isak shook his head, although he didn’t really know what he was shaking his head _at_.

“I saw him.  My dad.  I _saw_ him.” Isak managed to choke out, clinging onto Jonas’ hand where it was resting on his knee.

“Oh, man.” Jonas gave him an understanding look, and Isak had never been more grateful that his best friend had been there when his life fell apart back in 2015.  “Is Even still at home?” Jonas asked and Isak tried to stifle his tears as he nodded.

“Okay, Is, I’ve got you.” Jonas promised, giving Isak’s shaking hand a comforting squeeze before letting go and disappearing inside.

The disgusted look his father had given him was burnt into his eyelids in an unbearable after image, and all Isak could do was bury his face in his hands and try to will it away before his father broke his heart all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS???? this is actually based on my own experience bumping into my dad at a crossing and I only realised like a day after I wrote this what I'd done haha good job me
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	22. (EVEN) You can fall apart with me any time you need to, baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Immediate follow up to Isak running into his dad. LOTS of protective alpha Even and emotional hurt/comfort (2.9k)

Even was curled up with his face buried in Isak’s pillow when something pulled him forcibly out of his sleep.  He lifted his head, still a little scent drunk from having his face mashed in his boyfriend’s pillow, and before he could even _start_ working through his half asleep disorientation he was filled with an awful feeling.

Fear.  Cold, _paralysing_ fear.

His bite was throbbing against his collar, and that was all he needed to know that this wasn’t _his_ fear that was sending chills down his spine and setting off his fight or flight instincts.

 _Isak_.

Where was Isak?  What was happening to his mate and why wasn’t Even _with_ him?

In his haste to get out of the bed Even got all tangled up in their duvet and ended up on his ass on the floor, but he didn’t feel a thing.

Even stumbled out of their room in a tangle of their duvet and his pyjamas, knocking his shoulder off the doorframe as he went, shouting Isak’s name frantically.  He got his footing back as he ran into the lounge, but all he found there was his worried looking mother.

“Where’s Isak?” He demanded, turning around to check the rest of the flat.

“Jonas called your phone while you were asleep and we answered it for you seeing as Isak said that that was where he was going on his walk.” Tove said in a rush as she hurried after him.  At that Even turned out of the kitchen and went for his keys in the dish by the door, but to his shock his mother slapped them out of his hand.

“I have to get Isak!” He exclaimed furiously as he snatched his keys up again.

“Your father’s gone to get him; Isak and the baby are fine, he’s just had a bit of shock.” Tove told him, but it did nothing to alleviate Even’s stress.

“No, I  _felt_  it.  Something’s really wrong.” Even shook his head angrily and shoved the first pair of his shoes he found by the door.

“Even Bech Næsheim, stop _right_ there.” At the sound of his mother using her alpha voice Even stopped dead.

He couldn’t remember the last time she had pulled rank on him, which meant that it had probably been when he was just a kid being a little shit.  Every time in his life that his mother had pulled that voice out on him he had crumbled under it, even when he heard her using it on Elise he would find himself freezing up.

He had never been able to out-alpha his mother.

Until now.

There had never been anything in his life strong enough to outrank his mother’s status over him, but now his deep-rooted instinct to protect his mate and their baby was stronger than anything else in his life.  Apparently that even included his mother’s alpha voice.

She didn’t seem as surprised as Even by the lack of response to her voice, and Even was out of the door in seconds flat.  He was convinced he could  _taste_  his omega’s distress as he ran down the stairs, which was enough to convince him that Isak was in serious trouble, but as he got to the bottom of the stairs the front door opened and Isak’s scent flooded the entryway.

Even’s head snapped up, and the sight of Isak simultaneously calmed him down and worried him more.  Johan had his arm around Isak’s shaking shoulders and Isak had his arms wrapped protectively around his bump as if he was trying to shield Eira from the whole world.

Isak’s head lifted, his sweet little nose twitching as he scented Even too, and the moment their eyes met Isak’s face crumpled and he wrenched himself away from Johan and into Even’s arms.  Even caught him easily and wrapped his arms tightly around his mate’s trembling body, cupping the back of Isak’s head as he pressed his face into Even’s bite.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Isak mumbled into Even’s skin, but the way he was clinging onto Even wasn’t really in line with his words.  “It’s just all these hormones making me freak out about it more than I normally would.” Isak sniffed and Even rocked his boy gently from side to side.

“I’ve got you, baby.  I’m right here.” He kissed at Isak’s curls and scratched his fingers through them comfortingly and Isak melted against him.  He gave his dad a nod as he went past, silently letting him know that they’d be up in a minute, before returning his attention to Isak.

“Up you get.” Even repositioned his arms so he had one hooked around the backs of Isak’s thighs and he scooped his shaken boyfriend up to take him home.  Isak came willingly and, although it was more difficult than it used to be with his big bump between them and the extra weight of their child growing in there, Even took them into the lift rather than try to manoeuvre the stairs when he couldn’t see past Isak.

“I love you.” Isak mumbled into his collar, still nuzzling needily at his bite, and Even buried his face in Isak’s curls tiredly.  His boy smelt like sun cream and sweat but underneath it all there was still an undertone of distress.

“I love you too, angel.  Let’s get you into bed.” Even murmured as the doors slid open on their floor, but to his surprise Isak shook his head.

“No, I want a shower.” Isak said.  “I want to be clean before I get back in our bed.” Even got the feeling that Isak was talking about more than just the sweat and sun cream, but he couldn’t scent anyone else on Isak which ruled out the possibility of someone having touched his mate when he was out alone.

“Okay, Is, we can have a shower.” Even agreed.  Thankfully his dad had left their door unlocked and he didn’t have to fight his keys out of his pocket while carrying Isak in, and they went straight to the bathroom.  As soon as Even set Isak down he started shedding his clothes, struggling out of his big shirt before Even moved over and helped him.

It was an unexpected role reversal of the week they had just had.

Isak helped Even through his depression, making sure Even showered and ate, and now Even was going to help his baby through  _this_.  He turned the shower on to the temperature he knew Isak liked best and helped his very pregnant boyfriend up over the side of the bath before quickly throwing his own clothes off and joining him.

He had a feeling that Isak wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, so instead of prying he grabbed Isak’s body wash and sponge and got to work washing his baby of whatever experience had rattled him so much.  Isak seemed to appreciate the silence; he leaned heavily against him and let Even run the sponge over his grimy skin, cleaning away everything that had clung to his sun cream.

“Better?” Even asked as he sluiced away all the leftover bubbles from Isak’s skin.

“A little.” Isak nodded tiredly.

“We’ll wash your hair and then get into bed, yeah?” Even murmured, hating how their bathroom was thick with the scent of sad omega.  Every instinct he had was screaming at him to  _fix_ this.

He helped Isak tip his hair under the water to get it suitably wet before lathering up the shampoo and conditioner and massaging it into Isak’s curls.  Isak was practically purring under his fingers, like he did every time Even washed his hair, and by the time they were rinsing the froth away Isak seemed much more relaxed.

They carefully clambered out of the shower and Even wrapped Isak up in their biggest towel and rubbed him all dry before quickly drying himself off with a smaller towel.  They kept their towels on to move through to their room and once they were in Isak dropped his towel and curled up straight on their bed.

Although it killed Even not to join him he needed to talk to his parents first, so he hooked his finger under Isak’s jaw and tipped his head back just far enough that he could lean in and smooth a kiss over Isak’s bite.

“I just need to talk to my parents and then I’ll be back with you, baby, okay?  I’m not going to let you out of my sight  _or_  out of our bed for at least 24 hours.” Even promised against Isak’s throat and Isak let out a little protesting whine.

“I’ll be quick, Is, I’m just going to tell them they can go home and then I’ll come back.” He hated leaving Isak alone when he so obviously needed his alpha, but he had to do this first.

He forced himself to leave Isak’s side and he went through to the living room where he could scent his parents, still in his towel.

“Thank you guys for everything over this last week, but you can go home now.  Go pick Ellie up from Mormor and treat her to something.  I need to look after Isak; I’ve got it from here.  We’ll come for dinner in the week, yeah?” Even added at the end in the hopes of placating his parents.  He was, after all, essentially throwing them out of his home after they had done nothing but help him and Isak over the last week.

“We were expecting that.” Johan nodded.

“We’re so glad to see you back on your feet.” Even smiled as his mother stretched up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  “We hope Isak recovers from his shock soon; let us know.” She continued sympathetically.

“Thanks, mama.” Even smiled sadly at her before moving out of the way so his parents could sort their stuff and go.  He knew his parents would let themselves out once they had collected everything, so he went back into his room and closed the door.

“I’m back.” Even announced himself unnecessarily as he dropped his towel on the floor next to Isak’s and got into bed with his mate.  Immediately Isak rolled over to face him and squirmed as close to Even as he could get, pressing his face straight into Even’s bite.

“I’ve got you.” Even threaded his fingers into the damp curls at the back of Isak’s head and rested his other hand over Isak’s bump, rubbing slow circles over the thick skin.  Isak was snuffling tiredly against his bite, but the metallic scent of distress was fading.

Even had no idea how long they lay like that: skin to skin, tangled up together, using his touch and his scent to soothe Isak until his scent returned to normal.  The silence stretched on even after Isak’s scent settled and he relaxed against Even, but Even wasn’t worried.

They were in no rush.  They had all the time in the world for Isak to tell him what happened on his walk; he wasn’t going to try to force it out of him when he knew that Isak would tell him once he was ready.

All that mattered to Even was that his mate and their baby were safe.

When that blood freezing fear had woken him up he had thought the worst, so to have Isak safe and warm and untouched in his arms was like a miracle he hadn’t thought he would ever experience again.

He had lost all sense of time when Isak finally spoke up against his bite.

“I saw my dad.” He whispered, as if just saying it was as painful as the event itself.

Considering Even knew exactly how Isak felt about Terje, it probably was.

“Did he say anything to you?” Even tried to keep his voice calm because he knew the last thing a stressed omega needed was a furious alpha, but whenever Terje Valtersen came up in conversation his blood just boiled.

“No.” Isak said thickly, and Even knew a split second before it happened that the tears were about to make a reappearance.

“I was crossing the road and he was on the other side and he saw me before I saw him.  He looked…disgusted.  Like me being an omega and pregnant was the most disgusting and shameful thing he could think of.” He could feel the tears running hot down Isak’s cheeks and onto his own skin and Even tried to focus on that rather than his intense desire to rip Terje’s head clean off his shoulders.

“I think he scented me as we went past each other, so he could probably find me again if he wanted to.” Isak sniffed, burying his face in Even’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry you had to be alone when you saw him.” Even whispered.  Telling Isak how much he wanted to straight up murder Terje wasn’t going to help him, especially not when he knew Isak could feel his feelings as well.

“You were asleep and your parents were home, but all I could think was: _I just have to get to Jonas, once I get to Jonas it’ll be fine_.” Isak sniffed again, bringing a hand up to wipe his eyes before resting his hand over Even’s heart.  Even tried not to bristle at the thought of Isak taking reassurance in another alpha when he was _his_ omega, but when Isak patted over his heart he knew Isak had seen through him.

Isak just knew him too well.

“I was closer to the café than I was to home.  It made sense to struggle the short distance to Jonas when I was on the brink of a panic attack than try to get home and collapse half way.” Sometimes Even hated Isak’s calm logical thinking, because just hearing the words _panic attack_ and _collapse_ made all of his protective alpha instincts light up vividly.

“Jonas called you and your mama answered and she sent your dad to come get me in the car.  I don’t even remember.” Isak laughed shakily, but Even didn’t think he’d ever felt less like laughing.

“And then when we got here you were right there.” Isak tipped his head up to look at him when he said that, but not even his cheek look adorably squashed against Even’s shoulder could lift Even’s sombre mood.

The look of adoration in Isak’s eyes, though, that might have helped a little.

“You were ready to run out the door to find me because you knew something had happened.  You were stood there like my own knight in shining armour.” Isak was gazing up at him like he was something out of a fairytale and Even took his hand from Isak’s bump and curved it around Isak’s non-squashed cheek.

“You have no idea the things I’d do for you, Isak.” He whispered, stroking his thumb softly over Isak’s tearstained cheek and searching those green eyes he loved so much.

“You were so scared that I felt it _in my sleep_.” Even rested his forehead against Isak’s, even though it was a bit uncomfortable for him.  “When that woke me up I was thinking the worst sort of thoughts: someone had attacked you or something had happened to Eira, while I was _asleep_.  There aren’t even words for how terrified I was.  If something had happened to you and I hadn’t been there I would never have forgiven myself.”

Isak knew he wasn’t exaggerating.

An alpha’s instinct to protect its mate was one of the strongest forces in the world – right up there with mothers and their babies – and it was naturally heightened when said mate was pregnant.  Alpha’s who felt responsible for the loss of their mate almost always fell apart, and Even knew his falling apart wouldn’t have been something he’d have come back from.

“Nothing happened.  Nothing physical anyway.” Isak promised, covering Even’s hand on his face and letting his fingers fill the space between Even’s fingers.  “And as soon as I got home you were _right_ there for me to fall into.  It was perfectly timed; like something out of a movie.” Isak smiled wetly, his eyes brimming with more tears that Even wiped away gently with his thumb.

“I will _always_ be there to catch you.” Even swore, his eyes fixed on Isak’s so his mate understood just how serious he was.

“I know.” Isak nodded slightly, their foreheads rubbing together with the movement.  “That’s the only thing that kept me from totally falling apart on the way home.” He admitted and Even’s heart broke for him.

Seeing your father in the street should be an emotional ordeal that required hours of scenting and bite-seeking to recover from, but Terje had turned it into that anyway.

“You can fall apart with me any time you need to, baby.” Even dipped his head lower and caught Isak’s unsuspecting lips in a soft kiss, relieved when Isak sighed happily into it.

“I’ll be okay.” Isak breathed into their barely-there-kiss.

“I know.” Even nodded.  If there was one thing he had never doubted it was that Isak was the strongest person he knew, exquis status be damned.

“Because I have you.” Isak added, kissing Even again.

Even smiled against his boyfriend’s lips and the cloying sweet scent of omega happiness filled their room.

It was the best smell in the whole damn world, as far as Even was concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??????????
> 
> I didn't expect to finish writing this chapter today (I'm dying in this heat wave) and I'm up later than I should be for a Sunday night before a long work week, but WHO CARES I GOT TO UPLOAD JM3!! I hope you guys liked it!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	23. And here I thought you were only thirsty for Even

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even gives Isak two surprises in one day (4.5k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for how long it's taken me to upload again; work has been killing me these last couple of weeks

Somehow, like they always did, things went back to normal.  Even went back to work after his episode and Isak blocked out the incident with Terje entirely, and their lives continued like they had before.

Except Even – feeling bad for needing to take time off sick despite multiple people at work telling him that it was fine – had taken on _more_ hours in what Isak was convinced was an attempt to remind everyone that he was a capable alpha.  Not for the first time Isak had wished that alpha pride wasn’t such a fragile thing, but there had been no changing Even’s mind.

A few weeks had passed and Isak was getting tired of being alone in the flat, and his friends could tell just from how suddenly present he was in the group chat.  He was almost always the first one to reply to things now, unlike before when he had practically been a ghost there because he had been busy with uni or work or Even.

It was a sad state of affairs really.

Even had been apologetic before he left that morning, kissing Isak’s forehead and promising they’d do something nice together soon once he’d made up his lost hours, but not even that had helped Isak out of his funk.

He was 25 weeks pregnant and bored out of his fucking mind, so Magnus’ text was a welcome distraction.

Magnus (13.47)

_@Isak you doing anything today?_

Isak (13.49)

_done some sorting around the flat and might go for a nap now_

Mahdi (13.50)

_life of the party Isak still in full force I see_

Isak (13.50)

_you try growing a baby, dickhead_

_what were you thinking @Magnus?_

Magnus (13.53)

_I’ve got the house to myself, boys’ dinner?_

Isak (13.53)

_sounds good_

_Even’s working late tonight so I’ll be flying solo_

Mahdi (13.55)

_dinner with my boys sounds perfect after this week_

Jonas (13.59)

_what time should we show up?_

Magnus (14.02)

_16.30 at my place?_

Isak (14.02)

_see you then_

Jonas (14.03)

_chin up Isak, we’ll take your mind off Even being at work_

Isak (14.04)

_thanks J <3_

Jonas (14.04)

_< 3_

***

Isak was already exhausted by the time he got to Magnus’.  The tram had been jam packed, several people had bumped into him as he walked the familiar route to Magnus’ house, and the baby had been moving non-stop and making Isak stop-and-start more than a learner driver.

As soon as Magnus opened the door Isak barged past him to get to the kitchen, pouring himself some water into the biggest glass he could find and then draining the whole thing in about twenty seconds.

“And here I thought you were only thirsty for Even.” Magnus joked as he watched Isak pour himself a second glass.

“Hot.  So hot.” Isak had been reduced to monosyllabic answers, but he was too focused on his precious cold water to really care.

“There’s a good breeze in the garden.” Magnus promised, grabbing himself a beer out of the fridge.  Isak was only a little bit jealous that the boys had probably all been indulging in nice cold beers in Magnus’ garden while Isak himself was limited to water and juice, but he’d get over it.

He could go to a beer garden next summer when he _wasn’t_ pregnant.

“Are the boys all here already?” Isak asked when he’d finished his second water, finally feeling human again.

“Yeah, everyone got here a little bit early.” Magnus said, starting to walk out of the kitchen in a clear signal that Isak should follow.  After quickly filling his glass up with more water Isak hurried after Magnus.

“Even Jonas got here before me?” Isak was surprised; Jonas was chronically late for everything.

“Yeah, he came in with- with time to spare.” At that Isak stopped and frowned at Magnus.

“What were you _actually_ going to say?” Isak squinted suspiciously at his friend as they came to the sliding glass door of the living room that led out to Magnus’ modest little garden.

He’d never hear the answer to that question, though, because the moment he crossed onto the grass there was an explosion of noise from the bottom of the garden.

“ _Surprise_!” Half a dozen voices yelled, and Isak looked down at them in shock.  He had been expecting the boys to be there, but Sana Eva Eskild and his mother were all sat around the garden table too.

“What…” Isak couldn’t even think of how he wanted to continue that sentence and just blinked stupidly at his friends.  Eskild walked up to him quickly and pressed an envelope into Isak’s hand and all Isak could do was reflexively let his fingers close around it.

“Read this then come sit down.” Eskild whispered, skimming a light kiss against Isak’s temple before going back to the table that Isak could see was practically groaning under all the food piled on it.  Magnus smiled encouragingly at him before he too went and sat at the table, helping himself to nachos.

With nothing else to do Isak opened the envelope Eskild had given him, surprised to find only an A5 piece of paper inside.  As soon as he took it out he recognised Even’s handwriting and he smiled.

 _I know it’s been a hard few weeks, baby, but I promise things will get better.  I can’t be there today but I want you to have fun with your favourite people and you can tell me all about it when I see you at home!  I love you more than you could ever know_ _♥_

_WELCOME TO YOUR BABY SHOWER, ISAK!_

Isak looked up at everyone in surprise, mouth opening but no words coming out because what the hell could he even say to _that_?, and they all laughed at the look on his face.

“My baby shower?” He was trying to process how his boys’ night had suddenly turned into a baby shower in under a minute and it was proving more than his pregnancy brain could handle.

“That’s right!” Magnus grinned.  Isak finally came back to his body enough to walk down to the table and sit with everyone else, securing himself a space between Sana and Eskild.

“Even planned the whole thing; he made a group chat last week.” Sana told him as she passed him a bowl of strawberries and Isak shoved his handful straight into his mouth in the hopes of the natural sugar jumpstarting his brain.

“He did?” He asked faintly.  How had he had _no_ idea that Even was planning something?  His mate was so god damn sneaky.

“He did.” Marianne nodded.  “It was very sweet.  He really wants you to have a good time.”

“And obviously for us to bring the goodies too.” Eskild joked, pointing Isak’s attention to the collection of bags filled with gifts.

Immediately Isak’s eyes filled with tears and Sana passed him a tissue silently, letting Isak hastily wipe his eyes.

“I swear to God, Isak, if you cry then _I’ll_ cry, and Eskild will _definitely_ cry.” Eva threatened, but Isak could hear the wobble in her voice.

“I’m not crying!” He argued as he wiped the tears off his flushed cheeks.  “I just- it’s a lot.  It’s a lot and I wasn’t expecting it and I didn’t even think I’d ever be in the position to be _having_ a baby shower so- so- _fuck_.” Isak sniffled, frantically dabbing at his eyes as more tears rushed forwards.

“No one deserves a baby as much as you and Even.” Jonas got off his chair and hugged Isak, and Isak clung to him like he hadn’t done since he was a teenager.  “If Even hadn’t have planned this we were going to take matters into our own hands and plan something, because you deserve this.” Jonas hugged him just as tightly and Isak was filled with love for his friends.

He was so fucking blessed.

Once he got his tears under control Isak tried to pass the buck of everyone’s attention, asking how everyone was doing and cramming food in his mouth so no one would ask him anything while he was trying to adjust to the sudden change in his evening plans.  It took him about half an hour to settle, just sitting there catching up with his closest friends as if this was any other get together and not something centred on him and his big belly full of baby.

It was only when the conversation came to a natural lull that Isak felt comfortable admitting something.

“I’ve never actually been to a baby shower, so I don’t really know what we’re meant to do.” He glanced over at his mother, figuring that she was the most likely to have had baby shower experience.

“They vary from one parent to another.” Marianne waved her hand dismissively.  “Even kept it very loose, so it’s up to you how you want your evening to go.  We could talk about my little granddaughter, or you could open your presents, or we could just have a normal night and you can take your gifts home and open them with Even – assuming you don’t murder him for springing this on you – but it’s really all up to you.” Everyone laughed at that, and Isak relaxed by at least 40%.

“Well, your granddaughter is _very_ active.” He laughed, leaning back in his seat and rubbing his hand over his bump fondly.  “I’m convinced that all my insides are going to be battered black and blue by the time she comes.”

“You were exactly the same; karma’s come for you.” Marianne tutted, and Isak was so shocked at his mother’s lack of sympathy that he burst out laughing.

“She’s probably bored in there.” Mahdi grinned.  “I mean, wouldn’t you all be bored if the only thing you could hear was Isak?” He continued, giving Isak a wink even though Isak knew he was only teasing.

“Oh, that’s how it is, huh?” He pretended to be affronted.  “Well, you can kiss your chance at godfather goodbye!” He pretended to be striking something off an invisible list and an _ooooooh_ rippled through the group.

“Gutted, Mahdi.  Although we all know it’s going to be Jonas, so I’m sure it won’t sting for _too_ long.” Eva shrugged, unaware of the way Jonas blushed beside her.

“Eva, you can’t just assume that!” Jonas looked mortified, and Isak almost wanted to put him out of his misery.

Almost.

He’d let his best friend squirm a little bit longer for not warning him that this baby shower was coming.

“Please, as if Isak would give that position to anyone else!” Eva shook her head.  “You two have known each other since you were just kids and now Isak is _having_ a kid?  It’s an obvious choice and we all know it.” Eva looked around the group, clearly daring any of them to doubt her, and Isak was surprised to see that even his mother was nodding along.

“It’s true.” Isak finally nodded, letting Jonas off the hook his girlfriend had stabbed him onto.  “Jonas was always going to be the one I asked.”

“Thanks, Is.” Jonas looked like he was about five seconds away from bursting into tears himself, which was enough to make Isak’s lip start to wobble.

“You’ve always been there for me.  How could I not ask you?” The boys shared another tight hug, both of them wiping their eyes over the other’s shoulder before pulling back and sitting down.

After that the evening flew by.  The food – contributed all by Jonas and Sana who were hands down the best cooks in their friendship group – was delicious and they all ate until everyone was nearly the same size as Isak, and the conversation flowed easily between funny stories from when Isak was little to what they thought Eira would be like as she got older living with Isak and Even to funny gross horror stories everyone had heard about parenting over the years.

Isak had never liked opening presents in front of people, opting to take them home and open them with Even, so as the evening got later and later and the summer sky finally darkened people started taking their leave.  He helped Sana and Jonas sort out their tupperware, and in return they helped him organise his gifts into two of the big gift bags so they’d be easier to get home.

He said his goodbyes to the few of them who were still there, and somehow found more moisture in himself to cry as his friends hugged him, and once he composed himself he made his way to the tram stop.

After a quick glance at his phone Isak realised that Even would be home before he would, and he ended up spending most of his commute anxious to see his mate.  The baby shower – although initially a horrifying shock – had been one of the nicest Even-free evenings Isak had had in a long time and he wanted to thank his boyfriend for putting it all together.

The only moment he wasn’t eagerly thinking about seeing his boyfriend was when the person next to him sneezed all over him and Isak _felt_ the wetness hit his skin.  His plans for getting home immediately changed to _take a twenty minute shower_ and he tried not to freak out about how disgusting the whole situation was.

It could only happen to Isak that he had an amazing time and then something like that happened to ruin his good mood, he thought bitterly as he let himself into the flat.  He left the bags in their room and called out to Even in the lounge before he disappeared into the bathroom.

“A guy on the tram sneezed on me, can you believe that?  Going for a shower and then we can talk.” He didn’t bother waiting for Even’s reply before vanishing into the shower and scrubbing himself raw.  By the time he gets out of the shower he can longer feel the phantom phlegm on his skin and he dries off and buries himself in one of Even’s big hoodies he had bought purely for Isak to wear when he wanted Even’s scent.

“Ev?” Isak’s bare feet padded softly against their wooden floor as he walked into the lounge where he could still hear their TV, and the lights were set to a soft warm glow that immediately made Isak feel cosy and settled inside.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Even was smiling before he even turned his head, but when he saw Isak his lips parted in surprise and Isak could see his pupils dilate from the doorway.

“What?” He laughed, sitting himself down next to his mate.

“I just- I can’t believe I got Isak Valtersen to be barefoot and pregnant and wearing my clothes instead of his own.” Even shook his head in disbelief, but Isak could see the smirk he was trying to suppress and he hit at Even’s chest lightly.

“Be quiet.  Don’t ruin it when I’m super happy with you.” Isak advised, but he couldn’t be mad at Even after what he had done for him.

“Oh, you’re _super happy_ , huh?  What did I do to achieve that?” Even turned the telly off and turned onto his side on the sofa so he could focus solely on Isak and Isak immediately reached out and ran his fingers through Even’s soft hair.

“The baby shower.” Isak said simply.  He had the little note Even had written for him in one of the bags and he fully intended on laminating it and keeping it in their memory box.

“Did you have a good time before the whole tram thing?” Even’s hand slid over the small space between them and under the hoodie where it settled over Isak’s bump, his heart relaxing at the feeling of his baby girl moving under his hand.

“I had an incredible time, baby.  Thank you so much.” Isak put his free hand over Even’s and wove his fingers easily between Even’s.  “It would have been better with you there, though.” Isak pouted.

“I had to go to work, Is.  Besides, I don’t think the partner is meant to be there traditionally.” Even shrugged.  “It was for you and your friends!  I know you’ve been pretty down lately.  It’s been a long month for us.” Even squeezed his fingers gently and Isak nodded, the jokey mood gone.

“It has.  I’ve missed you.” Isak shifted closer to his mate and Even pulled him closer until Isak was tucked comfortably under Even’s arm with his legs curled up beneath him.

“I missed you too, angel.” Even kissed his forehead and took a moment to breathe in the smell of Isak fresh out of the shower.  “But I’ve been thinking a lot since my last episode and all that stuff with your dad.”

“Thinking about planning an entire baby shower behind my back, clearly.” Isak still couldn’t believe he hadn’t had even a hint of a suspicion that Even was up to something.

“Well, that too.” Even laughed, hugging Isak closer.  “But around all that I was thinking a lot about _us_.” Isak looked up at Even from under his lashes, his head comfortable against the back of the sofa.

“What about us?” He prompted.

“How we’ve been together for almost four years now and I’m still falling in love with you every single day.” Even was looking into his face so intently but Isak felt like it would be wrong to look away, so he stared openly back at his boyfriend.

“How we’re going to have our little Bech Næsheim here soon enough, even though we never thought we’d have this.  How my family loves you so much and you fit in so well with all of them.” Even was stroking the skin of Isak’s bump with his thumb and Isak could feel goosebumps following his touch.

“I love you too, Ev.” Isak murmured, reaching up and kissing him softly.

“I love you so much.” Even whispered against his lips.  “You’ve been there for me like no one else ever has.  I can’t imagine anyone better to start a family with than you, Isak.” Even kept pressing their lips together as he spoke and it was making Isak’s head all fuzzy and warmth pool in his belly.

“How would you feel, Isak Valtersen…” Even broke away from him and Isak whined in protest, trying to follow his boyfriend’s lips.  His whole body froze as Even slipped away from him and off the sofa, sinking easily onto one knee.

“About joining me and Eira in being a Bech Næsheim?” Even produced a simple ring box from the back pocket of his jeans and Isak’s breath froze in his lungs.

“Will you marry me, baby?” Even said as he popped the box open and revealed a gorgeous ring.

“ _Yes_!  Oh my god, of course I’ll marry you, Even!” Isak pulled his boyfriend back up off his knee (there was no chance of Isak getting on his knees any more) and smacked their lips together, too overcome to even think about getting the ring on or anything else.

“Yeah?  You’ll be Isak Bech Næsheim?” Even was grinning into their kiss, but as he said Isak’s future name out loud to himself for the first time he felt his dick twitch excitedly.

“Yes, yes, a million times _yes_.” Isak was kissing him desperately, and he almost cried when Even pulled back.

“Let’s get this ring on your finger then.” Even panted, pulling the ring out of its holder and sliding it on Isak’s trembling finger.

“It’s beautiful.” Isak whispered, unable to take his eyes off it.  His engagement ring was silver and had two gold threads woven together through the middle of it and he couldn’t stop turning his hand to watch it catch the light.  It was simple and beautiful and Isak loved it.

“Our lives are totally woven together; why shouldn’t our rings be?” Even was smiling so big that Isak’s own cheeks ached at the sight of him.

“Do you have one too?” Isak looked at Even’s hand curiously and Even somehow grinned even more.  His hand delved back into his back pocket and when it came out he had a matching ring on his finger, except with the colours inversed.

“Of course.  I want everyone to know that I’m marrying the man of my dreams.” Isak surged forwards to give Even another kiss for that, wetness starting to form between his legs.

“I love you so much.  I can’t believe we’re getting married.” Isak moaned between their kisses, trying to pull Even impossibly closer.

“You’d better believe it; I didn’t work all those extra hours for you not to find my ring believable enough.” Even grumbled against his lips and Isak gasped, almost swallowing Even’s tongue by accident.

“You did all that for our rings?” Isak spluttered, moving a safe distance back from Even’s mouth.

“Of course.” Even said it so simply, as if it was the easiest decision he had ever made.

“You’re incredible.” Isak was mesmerised by his boyfr- his _fiancé_.  Even never failed to amaze him.  Even just shrugged it off but Isak wasn’t having that.  He pressed himself closer to Even and swung his leg over his fiancé’s lap, sitting astride Even’s lap.  Even helped himself immediately to handfuls of Isak’s skin: running his hands up Isak’s strong thighs and grabbing his ass, groaning into Isak’s mouth.

“Have you been bare under this hoodie the whole time?” Even could feel his brain short circuiting, palming at his fiancé’s sweet ass.

“Duh.  Did you see me at any point toss my underwear across the room?” Isak asked breathlessly, biting at Even’s full lips.

“Plenty of people would have dropped their pants for that ring.” Even joked, but his brain melted seconds later when Isak pressed his hot lips to the shell of his ear and whispered:

“I stay bare for you, baby, saves us so much time.” before catching Even’s earlobe between his teeth, which he _knew_ got Even hot in no time flat.

“You’re so practical.” Even groaned, tipping his head back and letting Isak assault his throat and jaw with bites and kisses.

“I know; it’s a gift.” Isak panted, his hands working deftly on Even’s fly.  Even lifted his hips up and wiggled enough to help Isak tug his jeans down to his knees before he got his fingers in those sweet curls and brought Isak back to his lips for a bruising kiss.  Isak wound his arms around his fiancé’s neck and pressed himself as close as possible, and when he felt Even’s cock hot and hard between his legs he ground his hips down desperately.

“You need to get inside me right fucking now.” Isak moaned, feeling the slick trickling down his thighs and his wet omega pussy clenching desperately.  Even was past the point of words, which Isak thought was a blessing because he already knew he wasn’t going to last long before he came all over himself and that already short time would have been cut in half if Even had been able to mutter dirty things in his ear like he usually did.

Even just dipped his head and knocked his head gently against the underside of Isak’s chin to make him bare his throat, and as soon as he had easy access to that pretty patch of claimed skin he set about sucking harsh bruises into it and littering it with biting kisses that he could feel making his sweet baby boy even wetter in his lap.

He gave Isak no warning that he was about to push in, simply dropping a hand to the base of his dick between broad wet licks to Isak’s bite and guiding himself to Isak’s dripping hole, shoving himself inside on one particularly teasing kiss and moaning at the high pitched keen that came from Isak’s throat.

There was no finesse from either of them; they were both caught up in a dozen different emotions and an overwhelming need to be as close with their mate as physically possible.

Isak fucked himself frantically on his fiancé’s dick, not making any attempt to be quiet, and Even almost couldn’t stand that Isak’s breathless whiny moans could be heard by any one of their neighbours.  Those noises were for _Even_ to hear.

He clamped a hand down over Isak’s mouth and watched his pretty omega’s eyes widen, but if anything the rhythm of Isak’s hips got _more_ urgent after Even silenced him.  Isak worked himself over Even’s hardness, angling himself to stab at his prostate and making his eyes roll back.

He was such a fucking vision on Even’s lap.

“I’m not gonna last.” Isak whined loudly against Even’s hand.  Even probably could have figured that out for himself from how much slick was running down his dick and coating his balls, but it was nice that Isak still thought to warn him.

“Me neither.” Even shook his head, grabbing hold of the bottom of the hoodie Isak was wearing and yanking it over his head so he could get his lips on those twisted tight nipples and make sure that Isak came first.  The moment his tongue made contact with the first nipple Isak cried out so loudly that Even immediately put a hand back over his mouth, moving between Isak’s nipples as Isak dropped a hand to his dick to burst the bubble of delicious tension inside of him.

The sight of Isak’s ring flashing as he jerked himself off frantically on Even’s lap was – unexpectedly – enough to have Even blowing his knot embarrassingly early inside of his fiancé, but Isak wasn’t far behind him.  Even moved up from his nipples and bit at Isak’s claiming bite as he ground himself against Isak’s prostate and Isak moaned so loudly into his hand that Even was almost embarrassed.

Almost.

Isak came hard over them both and clenched tight around Even’s knot, tears running down his face as he worked himself through his orgasm.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Isak keened when Even gently took his hand away from Isak’s mouth, watching his mate rock lazily against his cock as he kept releasing burst after burst of come.

“Sorry, I didn’t plan to knot you that suddenly.” Even panted, thumbing through the mess of come on Isak’s chest and sucking it off his fingers.

“W-we both knew it was gonna be quick.” Isak shuddered, his brain telling him to get away from all the stimulation after his orgasm but his body knowing better than to try to prematurely detach from an alpha’s knot.

“We’ve got a whole lifetime to have long hot slow sex.” Even nodded, delicately following the wet trail of a droplet of sweat down Isak’s throat with his tongue.

“I can’t wait.” Isak moaned softly.

***

When their friends woke up the next morning and checked their instagram, no one was expecting Even to have posted something: a simple black and white photo of Isak’s bump with both their left hands resting over it with their engagement rings clearly visible and catching the light, and the simple caption _he said yes!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??????
> 
> [Isak's ring!!](http://www.brookelliottbuettner.com/bmz_cache/e/eb0387a80d2c18ddd8975b8aa6b116dc.image.750x544.jpg)
> 
>  [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)  
> [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	24. My handsome blushing alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2.9k: a look at their gifts from the baby shower, an unplanned date, and a quick catch up with the boys

The next day – after they had both woken up and shared sleepy excited smiles as they remembered the events of the night before and spent a few minutes marvelling at their rings and exchanging sweet kisses in bed – they looked through the gifts from the baby shower.

At first Isak was concerned about how much there was to unpack from just his group of friends, but Even admitted that his boys from Bakka had also contributed even though they hadn’t been able to make it to the shower which certainly explained the _volume_ of gifts they had received.

There were two jumbo packs of nappies, the nappy bag and changing mat that Isak had had his eye on, a few bottles and a steriliser which Isak thought was  _incredibly_ generous, a set of bright plastic plates and bowls and baby cutlery that they wouldn’t be able to use until Eira got bigger but they appreciated the gesture, some cute patterned bandana bibs that would be useful for both feeds  _and_ teething, a handful of funny onesies that were so tiny that Isak got tearful just looking at them, a couple of colourful plastic bibs with food catchers to minimise the mess, and Jonas had given them the softest penguin blanket for Eira to cuddle with.

They were both blown away by the generosity their friends had shown, and straight away started firing off texts to their friends thanking them for going above and beyond.

“We’re so lucky.” Isak said in a daze as he looked at the haul spread across their bed, hardly registering the pinging from their phones.  Between their thank you texts and people starting to see Even’s instagram post of their rings both of their phones were blowing up.

“We are.” Even agreed, pulling Isak into his side.  “But if I have to listen to our phones going batshit all day I might lose my mind.”

“You should have thought of that before you posted an instagram update about our engagement; what else were you expecting to happen?” Isak laughed.  When he risked a look at his screen he couldn’t even tell all the notifications apart they were springing up so quickly, and that was when an idea occurred to him.

“It’s really hot inside.  How about we get showered and go get some ice cream somewhere?  We can leave our phones behind.” He suggested, and unsurprisingly Even was right on board with his plan.

Less than an hour later they were showered and sun creamed and out the flat, sweating in the unusually hot mid-August sunshine.  Isak was starting to regret his plan to go outside when it was hotter than actual hell; he could _feel_ his feet and ankles swelling up in his shoes and he was painfully aware that his walk was slowing to a hobble.

“Do you want to sit down?” Even’s features were all pulling together with concern and Isak nodded, trying not to think about the sweat he could feel at his temples.

“Yeah, I need to take these shoes off.” Isak decided as he deposited himself onto a park bench, leaning back to try to stretch the ache out of his spine.

“I’ll do it.” Even jumped on the opportunity to help straight away and Isak’s omega swooned at his alpha’s dedication to looking after him.  Even sat beside him and lifted Isak’s feet one at a time onto his lap to ease his shoes off, giving each foot a little rub before setting it back down onto the grass, and Isak felt 1000 times better afterwards.

“I can see an ice cream van just over there, can you?” He pointed across the stretch of dying brown grass at the white van.

“I can.  Do you want to walk with me or do you want to rest?” Even took his hand and kissed over each of his knuckles and Isak smiled fondly at him, his heart skipping a beat when Even kissed his engagement ring.

“I want to walk with you.” Isak struggled to his feet and Even graciously carried Isak’s shoes.  They walked slowly across the dying grass, and the dry prickly feeling under his bare feet felt surprisingly nice, talking about nothing in particular as they joined the short line for the ice cream.

When they got their cones – both piled high with sweet creamy ice cream and impaled with a nice chocolate flake – they retreated to a shady area under a big tree.  Just because they had their factor 50 on didn’t mean either of them wanted to tempt fate by sitting exposed in the sun.

“Your mum is going to kill you.” Isak said casually as he quickly licked a stray drip of ice cream from down the side of his cone and Even laughed.

“No, not this time she won’t.  Mum and dad _and_ your mum all know I’ve been planning to pop the question.” Even shook his head, pushing his flake way down into his ice cream until it filled the bottom of his cone.  He insisted that it made the last few ice cream free mouthfuls taste better than the boring cone, but Isak couldn’t imagine anything worse than the chewy texture of the cone and the soft texture of the chocolate together.

“Seriously?  You actually _pre_ -planned this?” Isak was impressed.  Usually when Even was planning something he got all excited and would blow the secret before its time in his eagerness to share it with him.

“Why do you think I suddenly worked all the time after you saw your dad?” Even raised an eyebrow at him and Isak blushed.  They had briefly talked about this last night but Isak felt like he had to tell his mate the truth.

“I thought your pride was hurt after your episode.  I just thought you were trying to re-establish yourself as a capable alpha at work.” Now he knew the real reason Even had thrown himself into his work Isak felt like the world’s worst mate, and he told Even as much.

“Me?  A posturing alpha?  _Never_!” Even pretended to be aghast but they both knew there was a grain of truth to it.  “No, I was a bit embarrassed about the whole thing but it was mostly about getting the money for the rings.  They had to be perfect.” Even shrugged like it was no big deal.

“You’re perfect.” Isak shot back and Even’s cheeks went pink in the sweetest way.  “Aw, my handsome blushing alpha.” Isak reached over and pinched Even’s cheek gently, even though it felt oily from sun cream and sweat.

“It’s a good thing you think I’m perfect; you _did_ agree to marry me last night.” Even grinned, but the words sent heat straight down Isak’s spine.

“I did.” He whispered, his fingers still resting on Even’s cheek.  “I’m gonna marry you, baby.” His own face broke out into a grin that probably rivalled Even’s, and for a second they both sat there like idiots grinning at each other while their ice creams melted.  It was only when some of Even’s dripped onto Isak’s unsuspecting leg and almost made him jump a mile that they snapped out of their bubble.

“Sorry, sorry!” Even apologised as he wiped the offending substance off Isak’s leg and licked it off his fingers.  They both leaned back against the tree and got back to work eating their ice cream to stave off the heat, and it gave Isak some much needed time to process what Even had said.

“Wait, did you mean you’ve been planning this _since_ that day I- you know…saw my dad?” Isak clarified and Even nodded through a mouthful of ice cream, waiting until he’d swallowed it to reply.

“I knew that night that the Valtersen family name wasn’t the one you wanted.  After you went to bed I phoned my parents and told them I was going to marry you before the baby got here.” Even told him like it was no big deal.

“I bet Tove lost her mind.” Isak was willing to put money on it.

Tove had been trying to push them towards marriage for the last two and a half years, but it had only served to make Even dig his heels in more.  Isak had known Even had had to get to that place himself, that no amount of pushing was going to make him change his mind on the idea of marriage, but he suspected that his future mother-in-law was going to take the credit for Even finally putting a ring on his finger.

“She did.” Even laughed, shoving the last mouthful of his ice cream cone into his mouth.

“And you phoned my mum too?” Isak asked, but Even shook his head and mimed walking with his index and middle finger as he chewed.  “You went to visit her?” Isak raised an eyebrow, his own ice cream forgotten in his hand.

“Yeah.  I visited her one morning before work to get her blessing.” Even explained when he was finished.

“What did she say?”

“She said it was about time I married you.” Even laughed and Isak blushed at his mother’s bluntness.  “She told me that it would be good for you to not have that connection with Terje any more, and that if I ever hurt you or let you down she would personally hunt me down and cut my knot off.” Even winced.

“She said that to you?!” Isak was horrified.  He knew his mum could be protective, but that was definitely a bit much.

“Yeah, and she reminded me that if she got caught she’d just ‘pull the crazy card’.  It was a bit intense.  But when I told her I had no intention of doing anything but loving you and looking after you and raising our family with you for the rest of my natural life she seemed to chill out.  She said some nice things to me too, so I guess it balanced out.” Even smiled at him and Isak couldn’t resist smiling back.

“I can’t believe you went to get my mother’s blessing; you’re such a romantic.” Isak rolled his eyes.

“Only for you, baby.” Even winked.

***

As the week went on Isak’s aches and pains only got worse and somewhere underneath all of his hurt he felt bad about how worried Even was about him.  It had got to the point where Even had bought something that they had only talked about buying for _Eira_ , not for Isak’s aching pregnant body.

“ _I’m_ not going to fit, Even, let alone _both_ of us!” Isak groused, stood there with hands rested on his massive bump.

“How do we know if we don’t try?” Even grinned, but he quickly changed tactics when he saw Isak’s unimpressed scowl.

“Look, baby, my mum said it was one of her most comfortable places to sit when she was pregnant.  I hate seeing you in all this pain, Is.  If you don’t like it then you never have to get back in and it can just be for the baby.” Even promised, which mollified Isak a bit.  If he didn’t like it as a seat they could just lean it against the wall until Eira arrived and _she_ could use it; that was practical.

“You have to help me get in.” Isak pouted and he held an arm out petulantly.

“Anything for you.” It had meant to be a playful bantering comment, but it came out too quiet and intense to be taken as anything but a total truth.  As if Isak had _doubted_ that Even would do anything for him.

Even carefully took hold of Isak’s proffered arm and together they stepped into the soft foam pit, and Isak was proud to say he only wobbled a little bit.

“And…sit.” Even sat down first, keeping his long legs spread wide for Isak to sit between, leaning his back against the protective bumper.  Isak could feel Even’s hot hands on his aching hips as he lowered himself down onto the foam mattress at the base of the play pen, and when he managed to get himself sat down he immediately wiggled back so he could lean against Even.

“How d’you feel?” Even checked, his eyes following the movement of Isak’s legs splaying apart to accommodate his bump.

“Comfy.” Isak sighed as he slumped back against Even properly.  Isak could _taste_ the alpha relief in the air at his answer, and a few seconds later Even began tracing the outer curves of Isak’s bump before placing his palms flat over it in all its glory.

And then Even started rubbing his hands over Isak’s bump like a god damn _masseuse_ and Isak melted helplessly against him, truly turned to putty under his alpha’s hands.

“Oh my god, Ev.” He whimpered quietly.  “Where did you learn this?” He dropped his head back against Even’s shoulder and Even dropped a kiss onto his bite, flooding Isak with warmth.

“I’ve been watching some bump massage videos.” Even confessed lowly into his ear, and Isak turned to look at his mate’s face.

“What did I do to deserve you?” He asked wondrously, but his train of thought flew right off the tracks when Even changed up the motions with his hands and worked out tension that Isak hadn’t even realised he was carrying.

“God, I love you.” He mumbled into Even’s neck, seconds before he fell asleep there surrounded by the pure scent of his mate.  He just about remembered to tell Even to wake him up when they had to leave before he was well and truly out for the count.

***

They had their first new parent class that afternoon, and for some stupid reason they had agreed to meet up with their friends beforehand because the stars had aligned and a lot of them had that day off.

As soon as they walked into the café Magnus was on his feet and hollering for Isak to show him his ring, making Isak turn redder than a tomato when every head in the café swivelled in his and Even’s direction.  Isak shied into Even’s side and immediately Even’s arm wrapped more protectively around his shoulders, a silent challenge to anyone who tried coming too close to his pregnant omega, until they sat down at the table and had to move apart.

“Let’s see it then!” Elias repeated Magnus’ initial request, and with the most dramatic eye roll he could muster Isak held his hand out to show their friends his engagement ring.

“Shit, don’t let Eva see that or she’ll be crawling all over me for one.” Jonas laughed.  There was no spite behind it; everyone knew that marriage wasn’t something Jonas bought into, like 90% of mainstream things in life.  But, hey, Even had felt like that once too so Isak liked to think that maybe things would change for his best friend one day.

“No wonder we haven’t seen Even in forever.” Mutta whistled.  “You’re a lucky boy, Isak.”

“Don’t I know it.” Isak beamed over at Even.  Despite only having been awake for about twenty minutes he felt good.  _Cheerful_ , even.

“You’re finally getting married; it’s about fucking time!” Magnus was like a little kid full of sugar; Isak was almost afraid to look at him for fear of his own excitement levels increasing to potentially dangerous levels of glee.

“Are you going to be _more_ or _less_ invested in their relationship once they’re hitched?” Jonas raised his eyebrows at Magnus questioningly.

“More, _obviously_.” Magnus scoffed.  “Think about it: they’ll be our only friends to get married so far, _and_ they’ll have the world’s cutest baby for us to babysit.  We’ll all be more involved in their lives than ever!”

“I don’t think I like how much you seem to have thought about this already.” Isak pretended to be concerned, but he couldn’t keep a straight face for longer than it took for Magnus’ face to blanch.

The hour rushed past them, feeling even quicker to Isak because he felt like he was getting up every ten minutes to pee and the conversation seemed to have taken several leaps and bounds away from the original topic every time he came back from the toilet.  At one point he came back to Even and Jonas having to remind Magnus that Isak would still be _very much_ pregnant when they would be having a stag do – if the boys even _bothered_ with that – so Magnus would have to hold onto all his dark dirty stag night fantasies until his next friend got married.

Between jokes they did talk about some real plans.  They explained to the boys that they wanted to keep it simple: just their nearest and dearest there to hear their vows and watch them sign the document and chill out with them after.  Nothing extravagant; their relationship didn’t need lavishness thrown at it.

By the time they had to leave Isak was stuffed to the gunnels from the cheese and tomato toastie he had wolfed down and was actually daydreaming about the suit Even would wear to their wedding.

How on earth was he going to stop himself from tearing it off of his fiancé as soon as he saw him at the alter?  Even was going to look like a god damn snack.

 _Isak’s_ snack.

For the rest of their lives, forever and ever amen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHTS??? I was going to keep this chapter going and do the baby class from Isak's POV but then it occured to me as I was washing my hands that it might be funnier to do it from Even's POV so you'll just have to wait a lil longer for that scene!
> 
> [the blanket Jonas bought for Eira](https://sc02.alicdn.com/kf/HTB15C.zLpXXXXcTXXXXq6xXFXXXB/Cute-soft-comfortable-flannel-baby-blanket-pattern.jpg_350x350.jpg)   
>  [the sensory play pen Even used as a seat for his pregnant boy just imagine it NOT filled with balls](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71iXeFOZYsL._SX355_.jpg)
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	25. (EVEN) No more stoned sex for us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys attend their first baby class, but it ends in a way neither of them could have imagined (2.1k)

They made sure to arrive early to their first parenting class, mostly because they had agreed they wanted to get a look at the other future parents in their class.  They had been in the room for almost ten minutes – it had taken almost that long for Isak to get up the stairs to the room, and they agreed that having a pregnancy and parenting class on the second floor of a building with no elevator was just bad planning – and Even was relieved to see that they weren’t the youngest couple in the group.

Even didn’t think it was wrong to start a family while you were young, but he knew how quickly people were to judge young pregnant couples and he didn’t want Isak to have to deal with the stress of being the youngest pregnancy in their group on top of everything else.

That title went to a slip of a boy who sat huddled to himself away from everyone else.  Even had caught his scent before he and Isak had even entered the room: frightened, pregnant, and unclaimed omega.  When Even had looked over at Isak it was obvious that he had scented the boy too and Even hated how sad he looked.

Apart from the anxious omega their group seemed standard enough: a mix of couples of varying ages (including a fun looking lesbian couple who waved enthusiastically at them when they sat down), one or two pregnant people on their own, a couple Even estimated to be in their late 30s who were definitely _not_ pregnant, and a young pregnant Faerie girl flanked by two anxious looking men a few years her senior.

“I wonder if there’s anyone here like us.” Isak murmured to him as they soaked up their new surroundings.  Even wasn’t really sure what Isak meant by ‘like us’ – was he talking about an alpha/omega relationship?  A hom-ex couple in general?  A young couple with an unplanned pregnancy?  A couple who hadn’t expected to _ever_ have a baby suddenly being pregnant?  Surely he didn’t just mean a queer couple, because the cute lesbians sat a few chairs away from them kept sending smiles their way? – but before he could ask for clarification the teacher blustered in and everyone went silent.

It was almost like being in school again.

Where their hands were joined in Isak’s lap Isak started running his thumb back and forth over Even’s fingers, one of his nervous ticks, so Even gave his mate’s hand a reassuring squeeze.  Everyone was there for the same reason: to meet other expecting parents and to learn how to take care of their little ones.  How bad could it be?

“Hello, everyone!  My name is Tori; I’m a maternity support worker, meaning I work with midwives in the hospital as well as working with families in the community.  I’m going to be leading these classes and I may even see some of you on your big days!” The teacher introduced herself brightly, sitting herself down at the head of their circle of chairs.

She seemed nice enough, Even thought.  She probably wasn’t much older than himself and Isak.

“I like to nip the awkwardness in the bud at the start of these classes, so we’ll just go around the circle and tell everyone our names and if you feel comfortable sharing how far along you are feel free!” Even’s liking of Tori dipped slightly at that, only because he knew how much Isak hated activities like this.

“I’m Anna, I’m obviously the pregnant one of the two of us, and this is my girlfriend Silena.  I’m 19 weeks pregnant and I’m already ready for this thing to be out of me so I can sleep on my stomach again.” One half of the lesbian couple introduced herself and her partner and Even liked her already; she was blonde and spunky and kind of reminded him of Isak.

“I feel that.” Isak muttered to himself and Even smiled to himself.  Isak used to sleep on his stomach most nights before Eira came along and made that impossible.

“I’m Leana and this is my husband Andreas.  We’re both professors at UiO and I’m 29 weeks pregnant.” The next woman said.  If Even were to guess he’d say that she was in her early 30s.

“I’m Marte.  I’m 14 weeks pregnant.” A girl that Even wouldn’t even bet was finished with secondary school said quietly.  It was clear from the discomfort on her face that she was here alone, but thankfully the Faerie girl swooped in to save the day.

“I’m Lina; I’m the surrogate for these two balls of stress you can see sat next to me.” Lina had a cheeky grin on her face and Even found himself curious how she had ended up being a surrogate.

The laws were still being put in place around surrogacy, but it seemed to be something that mostly Faes were interested in providing.  He knew he shouldn’t stereotype but Faes really did just _love_ babies and pregnancy.

“I’m Mathias and this is my husband Luka.” One of the men told the group and after some subtle scenting of the air Even deducted that they were both sapiens.  No wonder they had needed a surrogate.

“Markus.” Was all the young male omega said, and Even could practically _feel_ Isak trying to reach out to the boy.  If Markus wasn’t already in Isak’s omega support group then Even had a feeling that he would be soon enough if Isak had anything to say about it.

“I’m Julian and this is my partner Karl, he’s 26 weeks pregnant and the sweetest omega I’ve ever met.” The next person said, and – as well as making Even bristle, because clearly _Isak_ was the sweetest omega to grace this planet – Even couldn’t help but think that it was cruel to talk about how much you love your omega in front of an omega who was clearly distressed about attending this class _alone_.

“I’m Isak.” Isak shocked Even by introducing himself and his head swivelled so quickly to look at his mate that his neck cracked audibly.  “I’m 25 weeks pregnant and I hate icebreaker activities, which is why my fiancé Even just almost broke his neck looking at me just now.” Isak’s eyes were shining with laughter and Even didn’t even care that it was aimed at him.  He fucking loved that even after all these years Isak could still surprise him.

A few more people introduced themselves after that but Even was hardly listening.  All he could do was stare like a love struck fool at his fiancé; every bit the smitten alpha wrapped around his omega’s finger.

When he eventually tuned back into his surroundings beyond Isak people were talking about their birth plans.  He glanced over at Isak to see if he could work out what his mate was thinking; he knew Isak was sensitive to the fact he wasn’t able to have a natural birth, but Isak didn’t look upset at all.

“I’m having a C-section.” Isak told the group easily, as if it _wasn’t_ something that Even had had to wipe tears off his face over.  “I had some health complications when I was younger and my doctor thinks this will be safer for me and the baby.” Isak held his hand tighter at that and Even brought said hand up to skim kisses over Isak’s knuckles absently.

“At least you’re getting to have your own baby.” Luka, one of the sapien couple, pointed out.  “You’re very lucky to get that chance.” Even wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“She’s a miracle; we didn’t think I’d ever be able to get pregnant, so I’m trying not to get too hung up on how she’s coming into the world.” Even was impressed by Isak’s restraint when he himself was biting back comments on how being a male omega wasn’t exactly a breeze.

“We’re actually adopting.” A woman piped up that Even hadn’t been paying attention to when she introduced herself and he looked over in surprise.  He hadn’t even thought of adoptive parents needing to attend these classes; he had been expecting it to be full of pregnant people and now he felt kind of bad for that assumption.

“We already have an adopted son, but we took him in when he was almost six so we wouldn’t really know what we were doing with a baby.”

“Most first time parents of babies have concerns; that’s why we have these classes.” Tori agreed.

The rest of the session was a blur.  Even didn’t really learn anything, but Tori didn’t seem like she was in a rush to teach them this session.  Couples talked about their worries (a few of which definitely rung true for Even) and Tori gave out advice and shared her experiences from the hospital, they discussed what sort of things to put in a pregnancy go bag (which Even hadn’t even been _thinking_ about yet), and Tori spent a what felt like a life time explaining the different sort of births between sapiens and exquis’ after Lina the faerie commented how excited she was to feel the pleasure of giving birth and a couple of sapien women looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

All in all Even felt like he had wasted an hour and a half of his Sunday, but Isak looked so invigorated as they got their stuff together at the end of the session that Even didn’t mind too much.  This session had been more for the pregnant person than their partner, but Even knew they’d get to the important learning stuff soon enough.

He knew that Isak felt better the more information he got about something, so he didn’t doubt that these classes would prove invaluable for his mate.  He could deal with a little bit of boredom if it meant that Isak felt like he was getting himself as ready as possible for having their daughter.

“Remember when we used to smoke pot and have hot slow sex wherever we had sprawled out on a Sunday?” Even joked lowly in Isak’s ear as he helped him out of his seat and Isak laughed softly through his nose, but Even didn’t miss the way his cheeks flushed.

“As if I could forget.” Isak muttered back.  “But we’re responsible grown ups now, baby, no more stoned sex for us.” Isak put on his pretend stern face that always made Even’s heart melt.

“At least not until _after_ Eira’s born.” Even winked, and Isak actually laughed aloud.

“I’m sure Jonas would understand being asked to babysit for a weekend so we could get high and have sex on every piece of furniture we own.” Isak nodded, and it took a few seconds of shocked silence for Even to realise that Isak was kidding.

“Oh my god, you’re such a tease.” He shook his head in disbelief, both of them giving Tori a little wave goodbye before they exited the room.

“Wow, this place is busy for a Sunday.” Isak said exactly what Even was thinking as they stepped into the hallway and were immediately jostled by the throng of people.

“They must do a lot of classes.” Even guessed.  “Here, don’t let go.” He hooked his arm through Isak’s to make sure they didn’t get separated and used his height to his advantage as he waded a path through what seemed like half the population of Oslo.

They were a few steps down the first set of stairs when it happened.  It was as if Even watched it unfold in slow motion and was powerless to do anything to prevent it.

A small group of men rushed past them and slammed right into Isak’s shoulder without slowing or stopping and their combined momentum sent Isak lurching forwards.  It took less than a second for Isak to instinctively protect his bump: he wrapped his arms around his middle and curled into himself, doing everything he could to protect the life inside of him when his centre of gravity had been thrown off so suddenly.

Isak probably would have been fine if people still hadn’t been jostling past him while he was so unbalanced, but apparently everyone had somewhere they had to be _right now_ and kept rushing past him getting in Even’s way of catching his mate’s elbow to steady him.

A frantic looking girl ran past Isak, knocking into the elbow that Even was desperately trying to grab onto, and Isak toppled over.  He watched in terror as Isak did a grotesque sort of roly-poly down a few stairs before coming to a stop a few steps from the bottom.

For as long as he lived Even would never forget the sound of Isak’s skull connecting with the wooden stair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter isn't as good as my others, but I've had that end scene planned for SO LONG now and it can finally happen so here it is. fellow angst lovers gonna enjoy the next chapter 


	26. You took all the damage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff with Even and then things don't go to plan when Marianne comes to look after Isak (2.3k)

Isak had no recollection of leaving the room the parenting class had been in.  He doesn’t remember falling down the stairs, or Even’s frantic half yelling of his name when he came to a halt.  Even said that Tori drove them across to the hospital after doing a preliminary check, but Isak doesn’t remember that either.

He doesn’t remember arriving at the emergency room or being seen by a male nurse who Even tells him was pretty cute – he feels a bit cheated about not remembering that – and after a thorough ultrasound deemed Eira to be A-OK.

“You took all the damage.” Even looked so distressed as he held the ice pack to the big lump on Isak’s forehead and Isak’s heart broke.  “Your poor head…”

“I took the fall damage so Eira didn’t have to, I guess.” He tried to joke, but from the way Even’s face fell it was the wrong thing to say.  “Fuck, I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing to say.” Isak mumbled, letting his eyes drift shut.

They had been home almost an hour and had gone straight to bed when they got in, and that was really the first thing Isak could remember since talking about what to pack in a pregnancy go-bag.

“Keep your eyes open, Is.” Even whispered.  Isak’s head was throbbing horribly and he felt more tired than he could ever recall being, but the desperate edge to Even’s voice made him force his heavy eyes open again.

“M’sorry.” Isak’s tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth and he cringed at how slurred he sounded.

“It’s okay.” Even shook his head and just watching his mate move his head made Isak’s own head pound.  “I think you’re allowed to say stupid things when you have a concussion and a lump the size of an egg on your forehead.” Even was definitely trying to play it cool but there was no denying the heavy scent of distraught alpha.

“Is it really that bad?” Isak asked drowsily, curling himself closer against Even’s chest.  His head might feel like it was being repeatedly bashed with rocks but the weight of his mate against him and the feeling of Even’s heart beating beneath where Isak was resting his cheek would always be soothing.

“I got to you a second after you stopped moving and there was already a huge lump on your head, so yeah it is that bad.” Even adjusted the ice pack, shushing Isak softly when he whimpered.

“Christ, baby, why did you have to let go of me?” Isak could feel Even shaking his head and scent the saltiness of tears that were starting to escape his mate and he forced himself to tilt his head back to look at Even, even though it hurt like hell.

Isak couldn’t remember falling, but he could hazard a guess.

“The strongest instincts omegas have are to protect their babies and their mate.” Isak wasn’t sure how long it took him to get his words out, but he kept forcing them out anyway.

“If I fell forwards without letting go of you we both would have got hurt _and_ the baby would have got hurt.  Made more sense to just let my head take the brunt of it.” Isak’s eyes were fluttering again and no matter how hard he tried to keep them open they just kept closing.

He was trying so hard to stay awake, but between the pain in his head and the exhaustion weighing his body down like a ton of bricks he was already halfway to sleep by the time he stopped fighting his eyelids.

He was a breath away from sleep when he felt the tears dropping onto his face, but before he could even attempt to console his mate he was pulled under.

***

Isak had no clue what time it was when the light alarm went off, but he knew that the light was sending sharp pains through his battered skull.  It wasn’t something they used often, their light alarm, only really when one of them had to get up super early and the other one didn’t.

Right now Isak regretted ever having bought the damn thing.

“Ev, the light-” He whined pathetically, pushing at his boyfriend who was closer to the switch.  Even swore quietly and rolled away from him and seconds later the room was plunged back into darkness and the feeling of his brain being skewered started to fade away.

Isak knew objectively that he was being pathetic, but that didn’t stop his head from hurting or make him want to unscrew his eyes in case any more of that unfavourable light found its way to his sensitive eyes.

“Are you okay?” Even’s voice was still sleep-deep, which Isak appreciated more than he usually did in his concussed state.

“My head hurts.” Isak mumbled back as Even rolled back into position, and Isak found his way back to their usual sleeping position even with his eyes squeezed shut.

“I thought the light would be better than the noise alarm, but clearly not.” Even said apologetically, running his fingers through Isak’s curls until Isak could feel the pained frown melting from his features.

“It was worth a try.” He agreed.

“I have to go to work, but your mum is coming over during the day.” Even murmured in his ear, and the petulant omega side of Isak wanted to whine that he was _injured_ so surely his alpha should stay with him and look after him all day?

The rational side of Isak’s brain promptly told his omega to shut the fuck up so they could go back to sleep and deal with everything else later.

Even needed to work because they needed the money and the routine was good for his fiancé’s health; Isak having a concussion would only stress Even out and Isak knew that after an hour or two he would be sick of being coddled.  Having his mum over for the day was the smart choice and he was glad to know that Even knew that too.

“I wish I could stay.” Even sighed, as if he was reading Isak’s thoughts.  “But that lump on your head just isn’t attractive, baby, so I’m outta here.” The sudden change of direction surprised a weak laugh out of Isak, but he immediately regretted the jostling of his head.

“Don’t hurt yourself; I know I’m hilarious.” Even brushed a kiss over the aforementioned egg on Isak’s forehead and Isak could _feel_ his grin against the tender skin.  “For real though: I have to go to work.  I hope you feel a bit better when I get back.” Even skimmed another kiss across his forehead and Isak gave a slight nod.

“You just want the lump to go so you can have your trophy omega back.” Isak teased, but he was already falling back asleep.

“You caught me.” Even whispered, easing himself out from underneath Isak’s sleep-heavy body and rearranging the duvet around his injured omega.

And then he was gone.

***

When Isak woke up next it was to the sound of his mother pottering around in his kitchen, but even that simple noise was enough to set his teeth on edge.  His head felt a little less painful than it had when Even left, but not by much, and when he shuffled himself unwillingly out of bed a low but annoying ring started in his ears.

It didn’t seem to get any better as she shuffled out of the bedroom, but he had a feeling that if he stayed in bed all day both his mother _and_ Even would be besides themselves with worry.

Although, his mother seemed besides herself seeing him out of bed, so maybe Isak should have just stayed in there.

“Isak!  What are you doing up?  You’re meant to be _resting_.” His mother was definitely flapping, but Isak was too tired to do anything about it.

“I have a concussion, not a broken leg.  Walking from bed to the kitchen won’t kill me.” He mumbled, sitting down in his usual seat at the table.

“No, but there’s no reason to be straining yourself.  You’re injured and pregnant; this is the _last_ time you should be pushing yourself!” Marianne argued as she set a plate of toast in front of him.

“I’d forgotten I was pregnant; thank you so much for the reminder.” Isak laid his hands pointedly on his massive belly and arched an eyebrow at his mother.

“I forgot how grumpy you get when you’re unwell.” Marianne patted him on the shoulder before moving back to the counter, where Isak was only just noticing a _mountain_ of food.  His mother was an omega through and through: in times of crisis she was always the first to offer food or hospitality to someone in need.

He and Even probably wouldn’t need to cook again until after Eira had been born.  That should have been a great thought, but instead Isak found himself feeling cheated of watching his alpha cook for him.

He was starting to suspect he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

“Being seven months pregnant makes me pretty grumpy sometimes too.” Isak harrumphed before starting on his toast.

“Pregnancy is hard.” His mother agreed, sitting opposite him with a steaming cup of herbal tea that smelt so sweet it made Isak’s stomach turn.

“Can we talk about something else?” Isak sighed around a mouthful of toast.  His head hurt, his ears were ringing, and Eira seemed to be perfecting an Olympic gymnastic routine beneath his diaphragm.

“Sure.  Even didn’t really tell me much over the phone; just that you’d fallen and hit your head and needed someone to be with you today.” Marianne said, and Isak could just _feel_ how desperate she was to say something.

“I think he’s being a bit overcautious; I probably would have been fine without anyone babysitting me.” Isak couldn’t hep but smile at the sweetness of his mate’s concern, even if he didn’t appreciate Even’s choice of babysitter.

“You can never be too careful with a head injury.” Marianne clucked, and again Isak noticed that edge to her words.

“It’s probably not even that bad.” Isak shrugged awkwardly.

“ _Probably_?” His mum frowned.  “Do you not know the seriousness of your own injury?”

“Not really.” Isak already felt like he was going to regret this.  “I don’t remember any of it.  Even says I got knocked down the stairs.” He touched the lump on his forehead gingerly, as if that might make the memory come back to him.

“How awful!  And for that to happen when you were alone.” Marianne clucked sympathetically.

“What?” Isak frowned across the table.

“What what?” His mother frowned back, looking as confused as Isak felt.

“I…wasn’t alone?” Isak at least knew that much about his accident.  “It was when Even and I were coming out of the baby class.” He added.

“So Even was with you?” Marianne repeated.

“Yes, mama, Even was very much with me.” Isak was really regretting getting out of bed now.

“So he wasn’t nearby?”

“He said he was right next to me.  What are you trying to get at, mama?” Isak’s frown deepened.

“How could you get so hurt with your alpha _right there_?” Marianne’s voice was _dripping_ with exasperation, but Isak didn’t like what she was trying to say.

“Are you seriously blaming Even?” Isak tried to keep his voice even, but his temper was quickly rising.

“Why even have an alpha if he can’t keep you safe when you’re out together?” Marianne exclaimed, and Isak felt his blood pressure spike so violently that he almost passed out.

“How… _dare_ you?” Isak managed to get out through gritted teeth.  “I know things were different when you were younger but you can’t just _say_ that.  Especially not about _Even_.” Isak was pretty sure his chest was about to explode from all the fury that was sitting in there.

“It was an _accident_.  I fell down the stairs, and Even took me straight to A &E.  He did everything he was supposed and he’s taken really good care of me.” Isak felt a breath away from shouting at his mother, but that was a line that he _really_ didn’t want to cross.

“He hasn’t even taken the time out of work to look after you!” His mother exclaimed and Isak felt his nostrils flare.

“Get out.  Get out of my house _right now_.” Isak hissed.

“Isak-”

“No, get out.  You _cannot_ say things like that about my fiancé.  Even has done nothing but love me and support me and look after me, and for you to say he didn’t do enough when I had a fluke accident is _incredibly_ offensive.  Thank you for agreeing to look after me, but you need to leave right now before I say something I can’t take back.” Isak was trying his hardest to stay calm, his hands braced protectively over his bump, and it must have shown on his face how angry he was because his mother’s face fell and she got up from the table silently.

Isak watched with barely contained fury as his mother let herself out, and as soon as the door clicked shut behind her he let out a long breath.  He pushed the last of his toast away – any trace of his appetite long gone – and went back to the bedroom for his phone.

He wasn’t meant to look at screens for a long period of time with his concussion, so he made sure to send his text quickly.

The Most Beautiful Boy That Isak Has Ever Seen (AKA Even) (11.08)

_hey baby_

_I know you’re busy at work and I shouldn’t be on the phone for long, but I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how much I appreciate everything you do for me_

_I’m the luckiest guy in the world to get to live my life with the man of my dreams <3333_

_see you when you get home, Evy_

_I love you <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even though I knew exactly how I wanted that last scene to go it was a real blood-out-of-stone experience writing it, so if it doesn't flow very well that's why!
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


	27. You're the sweetest omega in the world, you know that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a serious talk is had, and the boys go back to the baby class and try their hands at changing nappies (4.4k)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been off this week staying at a friends, which is the only reason you're getting two uploads so close together so I hope you enjoy it while it lasts! (because I sure am!)
> 
> Thank you for an awesome holiday, Caits ♥

Isak loved his boyfriend, he really did.  He wouldn’t have agreed to marry him if he didn’t love Even with his whole heart, but god damn sometimes his mate could drive him round the twist.

“Please stop stressing, Ev.” Isak sighed.  Even had been home hardly an hour but the flat was already filled with the smell of anxiety and alpha stress, something that Isak’s extra sensitive pregnancy nose could barely tolerate.

“You sent your mother home _and stayed alone_ , Isak!  You have a concussion; I didn’t ask your mum to come over for the fun of it!” Even called back from where he was stress cooking in the kitchen, his words wafting into the living room on an aromatic cloud of cooked tomatoes.

Even’s stress cooking had been the butt of a lot of jokes in their relationship, but with the pregnancy he had been cooking more food _anyway_ so whatever he was currently cooking up they _definitely_ didn’t have any space to store.

Isak didn’t _really_ want to leave his comfortable position in the foam sensory ring but Even’s anxious chem-scents were making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, which meant that his mate must have been _unbelievably_ stressed.

“Even?” Isak braced one hand on his back as he got up and struggled out of the ring before he walked awkwardly into the kitchen.  The smell was even more concentrated in the kitchen: amplified by the steam coming from whatever Even was cooking and the fact he had the window totally shut, it was almost like walking into an alpha sex house.  Except instead of the delicious smell of turned of alpha Isak was almost suffocating from alpha stress.

“Baby, it was _fine_.” Isak repeated for the millionth time since his mate had got home.

“But it might _not_ have been!  They tell you not to be alone with a concussion for a _reason_.” Even said through gritted teeth.

“I had my phone the whole time, Ev, if I needed someone I would have phoned.” Isak promised, crossing the room and slipping an arm around Even’s waist.  He could _feel_ the tension Even was holding in his back.

“But what if something had rendered you _incapable_ of phoning for help?  What if I’d come home and you’d fallen into a really deep sleep and couldn’t wake up?  Or if you’d bled violently?  Or if something had happened to the baby?” The stress scent was getting even more potent and Isak’s omega practically wept at it.  Even didn’t deserve to feel this stressed, even if it was over something that Isak didn’t think was _that_ worrying.

“I’m sorry.” Isak rested his head against Even’s arm.  “I didn’t realise this was such a big deal to you.  I guess it’s different when you’re not the one who made the decision.” In fact the more Isak thought about it like that the more he realised he would have flipped his lid too if the roles had been reversed.  Isak had been there the whole time to assess the situation, whereas Even had no idea that Isak had even _made_ a decision until he got home.

So much for Isak’s communication skills.

“You could have died, Is.” Even set the wooden spoon onto the side of the pan in defeat and Isak swallowed.

“That was a worst case scenario and we both know my concussion wasn’t that serious.” Isak tried to reason, but he knew that Even had reached levels of anxiety untouchable by logic and reason.

“I’m your mate, Isak; I’m _going_ to be worried regardless of how serious a concussion it was!  It was still a bloody _concussion_!” Even exploded, tearing himself away from Isak’s touch with such suddenness that Isak almost lost his balance.

Even was _mega-stressed_.  There was only one thing Isak could do to dial him back down to sanity.

“Come here.” Isak said softly.  Even looked over at him, defeat written in the stress lines of his face, and he must have seen something genuine there because his face crumpled and he moved back across to Isak.

Isak folded Even in his embrace instantly, letting his scent soothe the parts of Even’s brains that words couldn’t reach.  It took less than a minute for the tension to ease out of his mate’s body and for Even to press his nose desperately into Isak’s bite.

“You need to chill out, Ev.” Isak whispered into his mate’s hair, pressing a kiss to Even’s scalp before he started running his fingers through Even’s loose locks.  The strands felt a little bit waxy against his skin, a sure sign that Even had styled his hair before work that morning, but clearly the busy nature of the day had been too much for even _Even’s_ hair wax.

“If you keep going like this you’re going to have a heart attack before the baby’s even born.” Isak was only half joking.

“I know.” Even groaned, his hot breath against Isak’s bite sending a flash of heat through Isak’s belly.

“I don’t want you to make yourself sick with all the stress.” Isak kept running his fingers through Even’s hair, knowing how well it soothed his mate, and rested his cheek against the top of Even’s head.

“I just worry about you.” Even mumbled, and the vulnerable quiver in his voice went straight to Isak’s heart like a knife.

“Let’s go curl up in the donut and talk about this properly.” Isak decided.  Before Even could attempt to protest Isak moved away and turned the hotplates off and moved the pan to cool down.

“The donut?” Even repeated confusedly.

“Oh.  Yeah.  That’s what I’ve been calling the foam play pen you got us?  Because…it’s…round?” Isak blushed at his lame explanation but Even was looking at him with so much fondness it was almost unbearable.

“You are so fucking cute.” Even looked like it was almost too much for him to stand, but Isak thought that it was a better look on him than the extreme stress of a few minutes ago.

“I know.  Come cuddle and we’ll talk.” Isak took his mate’s hand again and pulled him into the lounge, letting go of Even’s hand only so he could manoeuvre himself into the donut without breaking his neck.  Once he was in he lay down carefully and curled up, letting the memory-foam like material mould around him, holding an arm out for Even to slot himself in.

Even came willingly, looking almost desperate for the contact with Isak, and once Isak had his boy cuddled up to him he threw their soft fluffy living room blanket over them, ensuring maximum cosiness.

“So.” Isak said as he resumed stroking of Even’s hair.

“So.” Even parroted, tucking his face back into Isak’s bite.

“You got really stressed today.” Isak felt like Captain Obvious but it had to be said.

“I know.” Even mumbled.

“It’s not good for you, Ev.  I was _fine_.  It’s like you don’t trust me.” Isak kept his voice low; it didn’t feel right to speak loudly or harshly in their little donut-shaped sanctuary.

“I do trust you!” Even protested, but there was no fight in his body language.  Isak hated seeing his alpha looking so defeated.  “I’m just…it’s like my hormones have gone crazy.” Even continued without any prompting, so Isak just lay there and let his mate get it all out.

“I thought I worried about you before, and I definitely did, but lately it’s like it’s all been amplified by a million.  I feel like I’m drowning in alpha hormones.” Even admitted, glancing up at Isak from under his lashes.

“Maybe you are.” Isak replied, but from the hurt look on Even’s face he realised that had been the wrong thing to say.  “No, I mean, when their mate’s get pregnant alphas tend to produce _more_ hormones.  There have been cases of alpha-psychosis while their mate has been pregnant or sick.” Isak remembered studying them at university when they had been discussing natural hormone productions that might interfere with prescribed medications.

“I really don’t like the sound of alpha-psychosis.” Even said flatly and Isak swallowed, cursing himself for being so useless with words.  Why was communicating so goddamn _difficult_?

“It’s not a common occurrence, I promise.  The point I’m _trying_ to make is that you probably _are_ making more hormones than your tablets are used to regulating, which is why you’re feeling so all over the place.” Isak was starting to feel like he was mansplaining his boyfriend’s own emotions to him and he didn’t love it.

“Well I don’t like it.” Even sighed.  “I don’t like feeling on the verge of an anxiety attack every second of the day because I can’t control everything that happens to you.  I’m not a controlling person; that’s not who I am.”

“No, it’s definitely not.” Isak agreed, brushing a kiss against Even’s forehead.  “It probably was stupid of me to just throw my mum out like I did, but I was so annoyed with her and her archaic alpha talk that I might have screamed at her if I hadn’t kicked her out.” Isak shook his head.

“She thinks it was my fault, doesn’t she?” Even asked quietly.  “Your concussion.  She’s right.  I should have been faster.  I should have held you tighter or made you wait to go down the stairs until it wasn’t so busy.” Even kept talking without giving Isak a chance to talk, but Isak wasn’t having that.

“No.  _No_.  All of that is bullshit.  It was an _accident_.  Accidents happen every day, and this time it just happened to happen to me.  And all that happened was a mild concussion, okay?  We’ve both had worse.” Isak pointed out, ploughing on before Even could argue.

“And honestly?  When my mum tried to say that it was your job to have stopped me falling down those stairs I got _so_ angry.  I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry before, Ev, and it scared me.  But someone talking about you like that?  It was just _unacceptable_.  Especially not in our home, where you’ve proved again and again that you can provide for us and care for me and all of those things that traditionalists think are such a big deal.”

“You stood up for me against your mother?” Even sounded surprised, which in turn surprised Isak.

“Damn right I did!  You’re the love of my life, baby, _no one_ gets to talk like that about you.  Not even my mama.” Isak couldn’t believe he had to actually explain that.  He had thought it was _obvious_ that he would defend Even to his very last breath.

“You’re the sweetest omega in the world, you know that?” Even lifted his head just enough to press a kiss to Isak’s unexpecting lips before laying his head back down on Isak’s shoulder.

“Only because I have the best alpha in the world.” Isak whispered back, nosing at Even’s temple before placing a sweet kiss there.  “Even if he has been driving me up the wall with his incessant worrying.” Isak winked, making sure Even could see the action.

“That feeing you described?  Of getting so angry that it scared you?  That’s sort of what it’s been like.  I’ve had all these alpha instincts wanting to just wrap you in bubble wrap and not let you leave the house, and part of me knows that they’re not rational thoughts but the bigger part of me is screaming to keep you and the baby safe.  Hell, if I’m driving you mad then I’m annoying the shit out of myself.  It’s exhausting.  Especially when I’m supposed to be concentrating on work.” Even sounded so tired and it broke Isak’s heart.

“We’re both safe.” Isak whispered, feeling under the blanket for one of Even’s hands.  To no one’s surprise he found them both on his bump, and he covered Even’s hands with his owns so they could share the feeling of Eira shifting around and moving.

“You feel that?  That’s our daughter.  She’s perfectly safe, too busy squashing my bladder to think about anything else.  When she hears your voice she always moves just a _little bit_ more than usual because she’s so excited you’re back.  She already knows you’re her daddy and that she likes your presence.  You’re doing everything right, Ev, believe me.  I’ve _seen it_ done wrong and this is _not_ what it looks like.” Isak promised.

“I just love you both _so_ much.  If anything happened to either of you…I don’t think I’d be able to bear it.” Even whispered his confession and Isak’s stomach clenched unhappily at the thought of something happening to their child.

There was another talk in there that they needed to have – an unpleasant _what if_ conversation – but it wasn’t for now.  Not when Even was already feeling so raw.

“We love you too, Evy.” Isak promised.  “We’ll get your meds readjusted, yeah?  And see if there’s anything I could be doing differently to make this easier on your brain.”

“Okay.” Even whispered, nuzzling his nose into Isak’s bite tiredly.

“Okay.” Isak repeated.

They both fell silent after that, comfortable that they had said everything they wanted to say, and it wasn’t long until Isak felt Even’s muscles relax against him and his fingers go lax beneath Isak’s own.

Even fell asleep, smelling of content alpha, and not long after Isak dozed off with him in the comfort of the donut all wrapped up with his mate.

***

To the surprise of everyone: Even agreed to keep going to the baby classes even after the last one ended with Isak in the accident department.  Isak had almost expected Even to veto it completely, but when they were getting ready for bed on Saturday night and Isak broached the subject Even seemed happy to keep going to the classes.

His one condition was that they go down the stairs on their own, and Isak was more than happy to comply with that.  He was in no rush to repeat his week; the headaches and the weird pressure in his head and the ringing in his ears when he stood up.

No, Isak had no desire to ever give himself another concussion as long as he lived.

“Isak, it’s so good to see you again!” Tori did genuinely seem happy to see them, which Isak thought was nice.  He hadn’t thought they’d made a particularly lasting impression on anyone in their class, but maybe just being known as _the one who fell down the stairs after the first class_ was impression enough.

“Takes more than a mild concussion to stop Isak from studying!” Even joked as he helped Isak sit down.  They’d made an emergency appointment in the week and Even was now a few days into his adjusted dose of Valmotrimate and he seemed to be responding well.  If nothing else his mate no longer looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, which could only be a good thing.

Hell, now he could even crack a joke about Isak’s concussion when five days ago he had been almost the point of pulling his hair out with stress about it.

“We’re all so glad you’re alright.” Tori replied before going back to rummaging through a _huge_ canvas bag.  Looking around the group Isak wasn’t so sure everyone shared Tori’s sentiment; it looked to him more like they were all thinking _thank god that wasn’t us_.  Isak probably would have felt the same if it had been one of them falling down the stairs, but he’d probably never get to put that theory to the test.

“I wonder what’s in the bag.” He whispered to Even, smiling when Even moved his chair closer to Isak’s to whisper conspiringly with him.

“Maybe it’s chock-a-block full of babies for us to practice on, fresh from the maternity ward.” Even whispered dramatically and Isak burst out laughing.

“Is that a popular mode of baby transportation then?  The canvas bag?” Isak laughed, but Even maintained his straight face.

“Oh yes, I’ll be making sure our Eira has the finest canvas bag in all of Oslo for all of her out of the house journeys.” He nodded, putting his nose in the air like he was some sort of fancy man.

“Only the finest for your heir.” Isak nodded along.

“The finest of finery.” Even just about managed to get his words out before the laugh came tumbling out of him, and the sound of such uncontainable joy coming from his mate when he had been so stressed out just a few days ago was sweeter than all the music in the world to Isak’s ears.

“Okay, settle down everyone!” Tori didn’t need to shout to silence the room once she was ready for them; she had the sort of carrying voice that would have been perfect for theatre work.  At least, that was how Even had described it to Isak one night.

“Last week we did a lot of talking and sharing our worries, but now we’re onto the practical stuff!  One of the most common things first time parents ask me about is how to properly change a _nappy_.” Tori clapped her hands together happily and Isak got the feeling that she had had mixed reviews on these lessons in the past.

“In my big bag that you’ve all been eyeing up are practice baby dolls with realistic nappies; I’m going to show you guys how it’s done and then you can practice in couples and threes.” Tori told them.  Immediately Isak’s eyes went to Markus, the young omega still on his own, and when he glanced over at Even he saw that Even was looking at Markus too.

Neither of them could ignore a clearly distressed omega, it would seem.

Tori took a doll out of the bag, which was more disconcerting than Isak expected it to be, and after holding up the nappy to explain which way round it went and where the sticky tabs should be stuck she made swift work of bundling the baby up.

“If you know the sex of your baby feel free to take a doll of that sex, if not you can practice on each.  Once you’ve mastered how to put the nappy _on_ we’re going to talk about the wiping.” And with that Tori moved aside so they could all get themselves a doll.

“Go get us a girl, Ev.” Isak turned to face his mate, resting his arm over the swell of his belly and leaning back in his chair to show how tired and comfortable he was.

“Only the cutest girl.” Even winked before he stood up to join the line.

“Markus?” Isak only had to slightly raise his voice for the young boy to hear him a few tables away and turn to face him.  “You can practice with us if you like.  It must be hard coming to these alone.” Isak offered, but straight away the boy’s eyes flicked anxiously to Even.

“That’s my fiancé; his name is Even.  He’ll probably need all the help he can get to be honest; he’s a hopeless alpha.” At that Markus smiled.  “You can sit next to me if that would make you more comfortable.” Isak added, which seemed to make the boy relax a little.

“Do you know what you’re having?” Isak asked, casting a curious glance downwards to Markus’ small bump.

“No.” The book shook his head slightly, and Isak tried not to look _too_ thrilled that Markus had spoken.

“We can practice with both then.  We’re having a little girl.” Isak shared, and he could _feel_ the happy omega glow settling around him like something out of a goddamn cliché omega romance novel.

He only hoped that it didn’t put Markus off joining them.  There was nothing worse than being with someone who was obnoxiously happy when you yourself were miserable.

“I got us a girl, Is!  She’s got your lovely green eyes!” Even appeared suddenly back at their table and set the doll down, and Isak felt immediately unnerved by its painted on face.

“This is like something right out of a horror movie.” Isak shuffled his chair back slightly.

“If you ask nicely Tori might tell you what to do if its head turns in a 360 degree circle.” Markus said as he took an empty chair from the table next to them and sat down next to Isak.  Despite his false bravado Isak – and probably Even – could smell his fear, presumably at sitting with an alpha he didn’t know.

Even, thankfully, knew when not to call attention to something and just rolled with it.

“If it turns its head in a 360 degree circle we’ll just drop it off at the local church and come back for it in 3-5 working days.” Even grinned, and Markus blushed slightly under the magnificence of Even’s smile.

“Good idea.” Markus nodded.  Isak assumed that the boy had used up all of his bravery coming over to sit with them and making a few tension breaking jokes, because after that he went very quiet again.  Or maybe Even’s smile had rendered him temporarily speechless, which had happened to Isak before.  More than once.

“So, you ready to wow me with your nappy changing skills, babe?” Even turned his grin on Isak then, but Isak had built up a good immunity and just rolled his eyes.

“Just because I’m an omega doesn’t mean I’ll instinctively know how to change a nappy, Ev.  That’s why we’re _at_ these classes.” Isak pointed out.  “Besides, it isn’t a fair fight because you probably helped change Elise’s nappy when she was a baby!  I’m at a disadvantage purely because I’m an only child.” Isak continued, huffing when Eira kicked particularly hard during his argument.

“We’ll just have to find out.” Even clucked his tongue, but the glint in his eye meant that they were definitely competing.

Isak went first, although initially he was reluctant to touch the most likely possessed baby doll, and after a minor battle getting the doll’s plastic legs to move he got the nappy on relatively easily.  After Isak took the nappy back off Even slid the doll closer to his side of the table and had his turn, which took over a minute and had…less than perfect results.

“Ev…you know it’s backwards?” Isak tried hard not to laugh as Even held the doll upright by its chubby plastic leg, brandishing it like a weapon.

“Is it- oh bollocks, you’re right.” Even squinted at the doll as if it was its own fault the nappy was backwards.

“Looks like _I’m_ the master of changing nappies!” Isak crowed.  Even set the doll back down on the table in defeat but, before Isak could say anything else, Markus slid the doll along to himself and changed the nappy around in seconds flat and rendered him speechless.

“My mother was an omega broodmare.” He said simply, and Isak felt the fun teasing atmosphere freeze over.  “So, actually, _I’m_ the master of changing nappies.” Markus said with a wicked grin, immediately breaking the ice that he himself had created in their group.

“Oh my god.” Isak laughed shakily.

“To the master of changing nappies: Markus.” Even cheered, lifting up his water bottle in a toast before taking a sip.  Markus’ ears went red at the alpha praise and Isak honestly just wanted to wrap the kid in a blanket and never let him out of his sight.

“Was your mother really a broodmare?” He asked quietly when Even went to swap their female doll for a male.

“Yeah.” Isak could tell that Markus didn’t really want to talk about it beyond that, so he backed off.  Part of him couldn’t believe that there were still omega broodmares – basically used by anyone who wanted them to breed pups – but the realistic part of him that read the news and saw the world around him wasn’t even a little bit surprised.

Omega broodmares weren’t like a surrogacy.

The omega had little to no agency in the whole ordeal, and it was almost always poorer omegas who subjected themselves to being bred by rich alphas in exchange for money.  Once the baby was born the omega got no time with the child that they had carried for months; they were seen almost like baby vending machines instead of humans with actual feelings.  Most broodmares found themselves pregnant again hardly any time after they had given birth, which was dangerous as hell, and the whole cycle started again.

It was a horrifying part of the world they lived in, but people would do anything for money to survive so the broodmare trade continued to boom.  Isak didn’t want to imagine the things that Markus had seen growing up if his mother had been a broodmare.

“One baby boy, fresh out of the bag!” Even declared as he dropped their next plastic doll on the table.  They took turns again – this time _without_ Even managing to put his on backwards – and Isak admitted that it was easier to learn with plastic demon dolls than on a real life baby that would be wriggling and covered in poo.

“Has everyone had a try on the dolls?” Tori called out a few minutes later, and when the whole room seemed to nod in unison she collected the dolls back up.

She then proceeded to give them the most uncomfortable graphic talk about making sure to thoroughly wipe the baby: getting into all the fat folds on the top of their thighs, making sure not to miss anything around or under a girl’s labia, not being afraid to really wipe around a boy’s balls (and Isak quotes “because some babies can have surprisingly saggy balls and you don’t want poo getting caught in those wrinkles”), and to always always _always_ check up their back for stray poo (and another incredible Tori quote: “because that shit can travel like you wouldn’t believe”).

“Remember when our Sundays used to be exciting?” Isak asked in a daze as they waited for the class to empty out.

“You mean changing nappies with me and hearing about saggy baby balls _wasn’t_ as exhilarating for you as it was for me?” Even teased, wrapping his arms around Isak’s waist and pulling him in as close to his chest as he could with Isak’s massive pregnant belly between them.

“I think even _your_ allure couldn’t make saggy baby balls exciting, Ev.” Isak laughed, tucking his face into Even’s bite.  “But there’s no one I’d rather watch change a nappy and laugh at than you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact the talk Tori gives about making sure to thoroughly wipe babies is taken from my own experience when I started working at a nursery and they ran me through how to change a nappy; the thing about saggy baby balls was genuinely said to me by the deputy manager and it was too good not to include somehow 

**Author's Note:**

> THOUGHTS?????? IDEAS??????? I have a month-by-month outline of this pregnancy and I have a rough idea of what I want to happen, but there's a lot of empty space in this fic so if you guys have any scenes you'd like to see feel free to make requests either in the comments on drop an ask on tumblr or hmu on twitter
> 
>  
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)  
> [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


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